overview

SJIPH provides funding for collaborative, academic-community partnerships focused on improving health outcomes in South Jersey. This includes both urban and rural communities in the region inclusive of Burlington, Ocean, Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic and Cape May Counties.

SJIPH’s funding has two main goals:

Use research to improve health outcomes:

SJIPH aims to promote health in our region. This includes characterizing the nature and prevalence of health outcomes throughout the region, and identifying ways to improve them (e.g., developing and testing evidence-informed health interventions, assessing and mitigating health risks). It also includes addressing the myriad determinants of health – e.g., environmental and social conditions, health behaviors, healthcare access.

Strengthen University-Community Partnerships:

SJIPH focuses on supporting sustainable, collaborative research partnerships between community organizations and faculty researchers. SJIPH funds partnerships between faculty researchers from either Rutgers–Camden or Rowan University and community-based organizations (CBOs) in South Jersey.

funding Types

Partnership Development Awards

SJIPH piloted the Partnership Development Awards from 2024-2025. The awards funded ten community-based organizations working in Southern New Jersey (Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, Atlantic, and Cape May counties) with $5,000 each to found and develop a partnership with faculty from Rowan University and/or Rutgers University-Camden.

The next round of applications for the Partnership Development Awards is expected to open in summer 2026. To learn more about these awards and the application process, visit Partnership Development Award.

Community-Engaged Research Grants

Every two years, SJIPH issues a Requests for Proposals (RFP) for collaborative research projects addressing a key determinant of health in South Jersey. The Institute’s inaugural funding cycle for Community-Engaged Research Grants was in 2021. Since then, 46 projects have been awarded $1,290,000 over four funding cycles. The next RFP is expected to be released in summer 2027.

There are two funding tracks in every SJIPH research grant cycle:

Catalyst Grants – These fund exploratory research and pilot studies with a regional impact. Grants provide up to $25,000 to support community-based research projects for 18 months. Ideally, the project aims to establish an infrastructure for sustaining and expanding community programs through support from larger grants.
Signature Grants – These fund larger, more impactful community-based research projects. Grants provide between $50,000 to $100,000 over 24 months. Ideally, the project is built upon prior research of the partnership team and is focused on improving health, building capacity, and impacting health outcomes.

All partnership teams applying for funding must include a community organization with a base in at least one of the seven counties in South Jersey – Burlington, Atlantic, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Cumberland, and Cape May. They must also include at minimum faculty research partners from Rutgers–Camden or Rowan Universities (i.e., Rowan University-Glassboro, Rowan College of South Jersey, Rowan SOM, CMSRU), with Signature Grants requiring faculty from both universities. More information is available at Community-Engaged Research Grants.

Stay informed and up to date

We currently do not have any open funding opportunities. Sign up for the SJIPH mailing list today to receive the latest funding announcements.