National Institute for Health Care Management
/OVERVIEW: The NIHCM Foundation supports healthcare-related journalism and investigator-initiated research focused on improving the health of all Americans. It supports journalism topics including cost and quality, healthcare reform, healthcare delivery, healthcare coverage, Medicare, Medicaid and population health. Its research grants are primarily targeted at questions of health care policy, delivery, and financing.
IP TAKE: NIHCM is an accessible funder, supporting those “dedicated to transforming health care through evidence and collaboration.” The foundation accepts applications online, but its grants and awards are highly competitive, as it only awards a small number each year.
PROFILE: The National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM Foundation) was founded in 1993 by a “group of forward-thinking health plan CEOs,” including founding president and CEO Nancy Chockley. NIHCM is “committed to playing a positive role in the community through charitable giving to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable Americans” through its programs and grantmaking. The institute emphasizes women, children, mental health and social determinants of health in its work. The NIHCM offers two main grant programs for Journalism and Research.
Grants for Journalism
NIHCM’s Journalism program “supports timely health care journalism that informs efforts to improve the health of Americans.” These grants provide funding for health-related reporting, educational and career development opportunities for health care reporters and documentary films related to health care. Recent grantees include Alliance for Health Policy, Blue Cross Blue Shield, PBS NewsHour, Undark Magazine, and Side Effects Public Media.
The foundation also funds a number of awards relating to its grantmaking focus areas. The Digital Media Award consists of a $20,000 prize for media that “improves understanding of health care topics through analysis grounded in empirical evidence.” This award is intended to recognize excellence in digital media, as opposed to traditional print or broadcast reporting. The General Circulation Journalism Award, also a $20,000 prize, recognizes “excellence in health care reporting and writing on the financing and delivery of health care and the impact of health care policy.” Similarly, the Television and Radio Journalism Award recognizes excellence in health care journalism delivered via television and radio reporting with a monetary award of the same size. The Trade Journalism Award, meanwhile, is a $15,000 prize for excellence in reporting for a health care trade publication or other news medium.
Grants for Science Research
NIHCM’s Research grants support “innovative investigator-initiated research with high potential to inform improvements to the U.S. healthcare system.” The foundation prioritizes advancements in the fields of “healthcare financing, delivery, management and/or policy.”
In addition to its research grants, NICHM also offers a Research Award, consisting in a $20,000 prize for “outstanding published work from researchers furthering innovation in healthcare financing, delivery and organization or the implementation of healthcare policy.”
Important Grant Details
This funder made just under $1 million in grants in a recent year. Grants generally remain below $100,000, with the average size for research grants about $50,000, and the average for journalism grants about $25,000. Grants have supported organizations of all sizes, with many journalism grants going to small, specialized organizations and trade publications working in the field of health care. For additional information about recent grantmaking, see the journalism and research grant program pages.
This funder runs open application programs for all of its grantmaking and awards programs. However, eligibility, guidelines and due dates vary by program; grantseekers should read program pages carefully before submitting materials. Grant and award seekers may sign up for updates at the foundation’s website. General inquiries may be submitted to the foundation via its contact page.
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