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 up to $25,000 will be distributed to Osteopathically centric qualified 501(c)3 health centers for a grant 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 up to 5 business days for AOF to review, once submitted.
• All applicants must submit a letter of inquiry through the portal to include: executive summary, purpose of request, budget, and project start/end date.
   
• Step 2: Full Proposal – Selected organizations will be invited to submit a full proposal.
  • 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
  • Contact information of the Osteopathic physician leader
  • One (1) letter of support from a partner organization       

Review Process & Reporting Requirements
Applications close Monday, August 25, 2025. Incomplete applications will NOT be reviewed. Award determinations will be announced by October 31, 2025. Grant awards will be paid in two installments via ACH. The first installment will be distributed upon completion of a Grant Agreement. The second installment will be distributed upon submission of a final report within 30 days of project completion.   

Interested applicants may access the application portal here.