WITH Foundation RFP Cycle Grant

The WITH Foundation is seeking collaborative proposals that promote disability justice within public health, focusing on the needs of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Communities of Color. This initiative aims to create a fair and just public health system that respects all individuals, rectifies past injustices, and prevents future harm. Proposals should emphasize implementation, education, advocacy, and research to enhance accountability and collaboration in addressing systemic barriers faced by marginalized communities.

Background
Governmental public health (GPH) is a fundamental system for protecting and improving population health in all communities. This system works toward preventing and eliminating health inequities while responding and meeting emergency and emergent needs. Transforming governmental health to address structural barriers to health and advancing an equitable system where governmental public health and communities work in collaboration and share power fosters health equity and helps communities thrive. Non-governmental organizations, power-building organizations, and public health professionals are crucial components to this transformation by supporting the priorities, meeting the needs, and holding public health accountable to communities they serve while protecting the integrity and historic health justice orientation of the governmental public health system. The connected systems of both public health and healthcare systems have often failed to provide adequate consideration for the needs of adults with developmental disabilities, resulting in many experiencing these systems as a source of harm and mistrust. These systems can have a disparate impact on populations that have experienced systems of oppression, including ableism1. Society has traditionally looked at disability through a medical model of inability and dependence. These structural barriers are further intensified for individuals experiencing multiple systems of oppression, as racism and ableism1 mutually reinforce each other. There are medical professionals and disability advocates who are actively involved in and leading change toward more equitable public health and healthcare systems. WITH Foundation (WITH) promotes comprehensive healthcare for adults with developmental disabilities in the United States that is designed to address their unique and fundamental needs. WITH embraces an intersectional approach, centers the expertise and leadership of those most impacted by this injustice, is committed to cultural humility5 and addressing power imbalances, and values innovation. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, RWJF works side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
RFP Advancing Disability Justice in Public Health—New Funding Opportunity
This is an invitation for collaborative proposals that advance disability justice6 in public health and center the goals, perspectives, and needs of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Communities of Color. The efforts supported through this RFP will contribute to a public health system that is fair and just, treats all people with dignity and respect, and rectifies past harms and prevents future ones. Proposals should prioritize one of the following approaches:
Implementation: Support implementation of models, i.e., testing and advancing solutions to enhance governmental public health in being trustworthy, accountable, truly collaborative, and anti-racist. Models should support the leadership of and power sharing with adults with intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Communities of Color, or those with a demonstrated track record of working with Adults with I/DD in Communities of Color;
Educational resources: Developing public health curriculum and/or training resources with Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Communities of Color, and/or creating/leveraging networks supporting resource dissemination and utilization within public health and disability justice6 ecosystems, helping public health systems become more accountable to Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Communities of Color – communities that have been historically marginalized.
Advocacy, Power and Bridging: Support regional or national advocacy, community power building to build and shift power, and bridging between governmental public health with entities such as grassroots organizing groups, social movement groups, movement-building organizations, community-based organizations, community organizing groups, and base-building groups related to the care that Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Communities of Color receive within public health; and
Research: Identify and close gaps in knowledge and inform efforts to improve health related to the care Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Communities of Color receive, i.e., community-based or community-led research that assists disability-led organizations in illuminating and addressing structural barriers within the governmental health system that are experienced by Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Communities of Color.