What’s the news: The AMA has launched a $1 million program offering $50,000 in funding for up to 20 physician-led initiatives that are focused on addressing urgent and unique health challenges confronting patient populations in their local communities.
The AMA Community Health Impact Lab Micro Grants Program will empower physicians to drive change through creative, community-centered solutions—whether tackling food insecurity, expanding caregiving support, improving maternal health or addressing other local health needs.
Physicians are critical connectors between communities and health systems. They understand the problems that their patients are dealing with and they are building solutions to address them.
Why it’s important: A wealth of data shows that social and economic factors such as housing and food insecurity, access to transportation and patients’ financial strains directly influence health outcomes. By integrating support for addressing social determinants of health, physicians can better identify and create solutions that medical care alone cannot resolve.
The AMA Community Health Impact Lab Micro Grants Program bridges the gaps between clinical care and community-based solutions in ways that will inform broader system-level interventions that could dramatically reshape community health. This approach is especially urgent now, as rising costs of living and widening differences in health outcomes make it essential to treat health conditions and the social environment that so often shape them.
“Doctors see every day how factors like food insecurity, housing and transportation access directly affect patients’ health—often having broad impact across entire communities,” said AMA CEO and Executive Vice President John Whyte, MD, MPH. “Through this program and investment, the AMA empowers physicians to design creative solutions that address community needs while using our national reach to scale what works—turning local innovation into lasting, national change.”
To be eligible, proposals must address a meaningful community health challenge that affects patient populations. Projects should demonstrate feasibility, measurable impact within the 12-month grant period, and potential for broader application.
Each proposal’s principal investigator must be a U.S.-licensed physician. Each proposal should include a CV or bio sketch for key personnel, letters of support from collaborating organizations, and a budget for how the $50,000 micro grant will be spent.
Learn more: The application period is open now and submissions are due March 1, 2026. Recipients will be notified by April 30, 2026, and projects will launch soon after. Physicians interested in applying can find more information and submit proposals on the AMA Community Health Impact Lab Micro Grants Program page.
Explore further with the AMA STEPS Forward® toolkit “Social Determinants of Health: Improve Health Outcomes Beyond the Clinic Walls,” which helps physicians describe social determinants of health and social needs, identify methods to understand and engage community members to address their health needs, and formulate a plan to address social determinants in their practices. The toolkit also explains available screening tools and how to connect patients with appropriate resources.
