The American Osteopathic Foundation’s Caring for Communities Grant was established in 2014 in part through a contribution from Larry Wickless, DO, a past president of both the AOF(2016) and the AOA (2019/2020), and his wife, Carole Crosby, JD, to support the outstanding work of Osteopathic physicians who address health disparities and provide care to underserved communities. 

Grants

A limited number of grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 will be distributed to Osteopathically centric qualified 501(c)3 health centers for a project period of 12-36 months, contingent upon the satisfactory submission of reporting requirements. Previous recipients are encouraged to apply, but an award is not guaranteed.

Eligibility

• Qualified tax-exempt nonprofit organization registered in the United States, with a DO directly and actively involved in the operation and evaluation of the program.
• Projects that seek to launch a new program or initiative or incorporate a new or innovative practice into an existing program will receive preference.
• The project must directly benefit patients, address critical needs, and have measurable outcomes.
• The project must serve and treat a significant number of disadvantaged people and/or people in desperate need of healthcare.
• The organization should have a history of treating patients for a minimum of one year.
• The project should seek to provide measurable improvements to patient health and quality of life.
• The organization should be committed to Osteopathic philosophy and principles in patient care.

RFP Requirements

• Step 1: Letter of Intent - Please allow 5 business days for review, once submitted. Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2026.
• All applicants must submit a letter of inquiry through the portal to include: executive summary, purpose of request, budget, and project start/end date.
• All applicants will receive a response to their Letter of Inquiry via email within 5 business days of submission.
   
• Step 2: Full Proposal – Selected organizations will be invited to submit a full proposal on or before Monday, August 10, 2026.
  • Organization summary.
  • Program Description with activities and services provided, objectives, and anticipated results, population being served, timeline and implementation plan
  • Description & measurement of anticipated client and organizational outcomes
  • Detailed program budget describing the use of grant funds & summary of funds that have been secured/requested
  • Full disclosure if research is also being conducted on population or services.
  • Program Director’s current CV/resume (if Program Director is not a DO, applicant must include the CV of the DO who will b actively involved in operation and evaluation of the program).
  • Contact information of the Osteopathic physician leader
  • One (1) letter of support from a partner organization       

Review Process & Reporting Requirements
Letters of Intent will be accepted Monday, June 1 through Monday, August 3, 2026. Organizations invited to submit a full proposal must complete their submissions by Monday, August 31, 2026. Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed. Award determinations will be announced in early November 2026. Grant awards will be paid in two installments, with 75% of the total award distributed upon completion of a Grant Agreement. The final 25% of the grant will be distributed upon submission of a final report within 30 days of the end of the project period.   

Interested applicants may access the application portal here.