FAQ: INNOVATION FUND 2024 RFP

The Genentech Health Equity Innovation Fund invests in bold ideas and the people who power them. It provides grants to individuals, organizations and communities whose work to advance game-changing approaches for eliminating health inequities has been historically under-resourced. 

Through transformational, multi-year funding, Innovation Fund grantees pursue community-driven solutions that have the power to promote lasting, widespread improvements in healthcare. Grants can be used to develop and test novel ideas or tools, implement demonstration projects, resource collaboration and partnership, and support research that goes beyond “studying the problem” or builds capacity within a single institution.

With this 4th round of funding, the Innovation Fund will have invested nearly $50M in over 100 projects that are transforming our healthcare system.

Organizations pursuing innovative solutions to advance equity in healthcare and the medical workforce are invited to apply.

Applicants must be recognized by the IRS as a tax exempt, public charity under sections 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code or be a U.S. governmental organization (such as public schools, public colleges and universities, public hospitals, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments).

In order to be eligible for this type of funding, the funding must not be used for:

• Projects taking place outside of the United States
• The purpose of developing clinical practice guidelines (e.g., statements that include recommendations intended to help practitioners make appropriate healthcare decisions for specific clinical conditions)
• Religious purposes
• Promotion of a Genentech or Roche product or to influence formulary decisions
• Research involving or undertaken in relation to Genentech or Roche products (whether investigational and/or approved for other uses)
• Accredited Independent Medical Education
• Indirect administrative overhead costs cannot exceed more than 25% of the grant amount

We accept multiple applications from one organization.

For additional requirements / restrictions, please visit funding.gene.com.

Yes, we accept multiple applications from one organization.

Strong applications are designed to measurably and sustainably close racial and ethnic inequities in healthcare. We especially invite applications that bring a systemic lens, cutting across multiple outcomes with a focus on root causes to realize the long-term future indicated above.

Please note: We are specifically seeking applications that address inequities in patient outcomes and healthcare workforce experiences across at least one of the therapeutic areas below:

• Neuroscience and brain health, including but not limited to multiple sclerosis
• Oncology, including but not limited to breast, lung and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
• Ophthalmology, including but not limited to diabetic macular edema
• Cardiovascular and metabolic disease, including but not limited to diabetes, hypertension and obesity

We are open to pan-disease state applications, but will not consider disease-agnostic interventions.

Examples of past grantee efforts and impact can be found here.

Each application will be evaluated by Genentech (Giving team staff, Innovation Fund Advisory Group and technical experts) using the criteria outlined below.

• Led by teams that are representative of the patients, communities and students (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation) impacted by the proposal
• Tackles institutional or systemic barriers to health equity for patients, students and communities of color, with a focus on addressing racism as a root cause. Consider:
• Does the proposal take a systemic approach?
• Does the approach have a clear vision for long-term impact?
• Is the desired impact focused specifically on communities of color, and addressing past and current harm?
• Directs resources and decision-making power to the communities, patients and students impacted by the proposal. Consider:
• Are community members reflected as investigators, advisors and sub-grants?
• Are patients, communities and students positioned to inform project design and implementation activities?
• Are community, patients and/or students explicitly included at each stage in the process?
• Takes a novel approach to addressing opportunities with the goal of translating findings into actionable, sustainable and at-scale change. Consider:
• Has this approach been taken before?
• In what ways has it or has it not been successful?
• In what ways is the project team addressing past challenges?
• What contribution does this make to the broader field?
• What future actions, investments, or efforts will this project help inform, catalyze or influence?
• Aims to rapidly share information to strengthen other efforts in the field. Consider:
• In what ways will patient, community and student expertise shape the evaluation process, inform learning and define success?
• How will evaluation learnings be shared with key influential audiences?
• How are patients, communities and students poised to benefit from learnings gathered?

We will fund up to $750k per project but we welcome a range of grant requests. Please note that we will not be funding planning grants.

The RFP includes a short initial application. Initial applications must be submitted in Genentech’s online grant system by 11:59pm PT on April 15, 2024.

Genentech will review initial applications from April 16, 2024 through June 30, 2024. All applicants will be notified by July 1, 2024 as to whether they will be invited to submit a full application or if their application has been denied.

Information and resources on how the system works can be found here.

Funding decisions will be made by November 1, 2024.

The award period for this RFP begins on or after January 1, 2025. Payments will be provided by the end of December of 2024.

Grant periods are flexible, though generally range from 18 months to 3 years. Grants cannot be self-renewing.

Once approved, all grant recipients will be invited to participate in the Innovation Fund Learning Cohort throughout the duration of the grant. The Innovation Fund Learning Cohort meets to discuss and share real-time lessons learned and insights from their individual projects or programs. The goal of convening Innovation Fund grantees is to build community and connection with equity-oriented leaders, share lessons learned and emerging insights, source and scale bold ideas and solutions, provide access to capacity building and support, and contribute to fieldwide learning.

You can learn more about how to navigate the Genentech Funding Request System (gFRS) here and here. You may also contact the Genentech Giving Operations team using this form.