Since its inception in 2021, the HEF has designated over $3.8 million of investments into 35 community organizations working to improve health and address root causes of health disparities in communities across Richmond. Additional investments are being made ongoing in initiatives filling gaps to address health disparities.

The Richmond Health Equity Fund is accepting applications for projects that serve Richmond residents by addressing a range of health disparities and building strong, thriving communities across the City. Gaps in funding and resources too often create or exacerbate disparities in our health outcomes. The HEF seeks to fill these gaps for vital, innovative, evidence-based initiatives by investing in community-led programs seeking to improve health and quality of life for Richmond residents experiencing deep health disparities and the longstanding impacts of racism. 

Organizations and collaboratives are eligible to apply for HEF funding until March 30, 2025 by submitting an application here.

The Richmond Health Equity Fund is managed by Richmond and Henrico Public Health Foundation. While RHPHF and Richmond and Henrico Health Districts serve all of Richmond and Henrico, the federal funding that makes the HEF possible has been allocated to the City of Richmond and cannot fund projects in Henrico at this time.

Funding Priority Areas

Through community-based investments, the HEF seeks to make measurable improvements in the following health outcomes:

  • Decreased rate of ER visits
  • Increased proportion of insured population
  • Increased access and use of preventative care and treatment services
  • Improved in knowledge of health status
  • Improved in access to culturally relevant healthcare and/or wraparound services

Through community-based investments, the HEF seeks to make measurable improvements in the following health outcomes:

  • Decreased prevalence of high-risk behaviors, including smoking and binge drinking
  • Decreased prevalence of chronic disease
  • Decreased rate of ER visits due to chronic disease
  • Decreased proportion of children and adolescents with obesity
  • Decreased proportion of people who do no physical activity in their leisure time

Through community-based investments, the HEF seeks to make measurable improvements in the following health outcomes:

  • Decreased prevalence of food insecurity
  • Improved access to supplemental food resources
  • Improved access to culturally relevant healthy food

Through community-based investments, the HEF seeks to make measurable improvements in the following health outcomes:

  • Decreased preterm birth rates
  • Decreased infant maternal and mortality rate
  • Decreased co-morbidities in pregnant women
  • Increased proportion of pregnant women who receive early and adequate prenatal care
  • Increased vaccination rate of childhood vaccines

Through community-based investments, the HEF seeks to make measurable improvements in the following health outcomes:

  • Decreased rate of ER visits due to non-fatal assault and/or intentional self-injury
  • Decreased incidence of depression
  • Decreased proportion of 18+ individuals who report their mental health was not good
  • Decreased rates in hospitalization for mental health
  • Decreased rates of re-incarceration
  • Decreased homicides
  • Improved use and access to mental health services

Through community-based investments, the HEF seeks to make measurable improvements in the following health outcomes:

  • Increased life expectancy within the bottom 20% of census tracts
  • Decreased disparity of life expectancy across Richmond City
  • Decreased social determinants of health risk factors including housing, economic stability, and transportation

Community Advisory Committee

To prioritize where the HEF makes investments, a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) of Richmond residents informs and leads these decisions. CAC members have a combination of both lived and professional experience in the health disparities of focus for the HEF. 

The CAC has helped to shape the process as well as the selections for funding, weighing complex questions of how the HEF can best fill gaps to address community needs.

Current CAC Members:

  • Sara Cariano
  • Heather Dail
  • Chris DeWilde
  • Rosalind Hall
  • Glynis Boyd Hughes
  • Zina Mason
  • Janay Moniz
  • Alecia Venable
  • Kenya Wheeler
  • Sarah Yancey
Health disparities in communities across Richmond are longstanding but many deepened during the pandemic. Through the HEF, the City of Richmond and RHPHF provided immediate funding to several projects that will have a direct, near-term impact on community health. Since then, our partnerships have grown to include 27 organizations.

Crossover Healthcare Ministry

Cultural and language supportive services to ensure access to testing and treatment and connections for broader follow up care.

Daily Planet Health Services

Personal follow up and support for unstably housed patients to ensure access to up to date vaccination and connections to primary care.

Health Brigade

Sustain and increase communicable screening for HCV, Syphilis, and/or TB.

Hitting Cancer Below the Belt

Increase colorectal cancer screening for low-income and uninsured residents

Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center

Expanded hotline services for Spanish-speaking individuals.

Nationz Foundation

STI/STD testing, educational resource linkage, emergency support services referral, and harm reduction services offering.

Sacred Heart Center

Vaccine and other resource access and referral services for Spanish-speaking clients.

Community 50/50

Expanding feeding program into comprehensive health fairs

Virginia Community Voice

Community-engaged design and planning for holistic healing space.

Richmond Food Justice Alliance

12-month urban agriculture and skill-building program for East End Richmond families.

Shalom Farms

Expansion of mobile market program.

The Happily Natural Day

Three-season youth farming program and online urban farm fellowship.

Waymakers Foundation

Culturally relevant emergency nutrition services.

Birth In Color

Access to community doulas for families and training and certification support for doulas.​

Family Lifeline

Access to maternal and child health resources at in-home visits

Healthy Hearts Plus II

Access to community doulas for families and training and certification support for doulas.​

St. Luke Legacy Center

Holistic, wraparound support for new and expecting parents with children ages 0-5.

Urban Baby Beginnings

Access to community doulas for families and training and certification support for doulas.​ Also, maternal hub program providing an allotment of diapers to families in need.

Virginia Prison Birth Project

Doula services and perinatal programs that support justice-impacted birthing people in prison, jail, rehabilitation facilities and on probation in the community.

ChildSavers

Therapy and mental health support for children and families experiencing trauma.

Daily Planet Health Services

Mental and behavioral health care support for those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Empowering You for Positive Change

Mental health skill building program for the uninsured.

RBHA

Expanding community and individual mental health services in three RRHA community resource centers.

The Hive

Community based, healing-centered case management program for emerging adults touched by the criminal legal system.

Virginia Anti-Violence Project

Mental health and emergency services for LGBTQ+ survivors of violence

Atlantic Outreach Group

Transitional housing support, nutritious meals, and case management for residents with a history of substance use.

Gateway Community Health

Love Cathedral Education Academy (LCEA) curriculum implementation and recovery-centric services to assist those in treatment or in recovery for substance use disorder.

Help Me Help You Foundation

Case management and peer-led workshops for justice-involved individuals with a history of substance use.

OAR of Richmond

Transitional housing support and case management for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use.

Nolef Turns

Transitional housing support and case management for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use.

REAL LIFE

Transitional housing support and case management for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use.

WHO Counseling Services

Substance use disorder treatment program for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use

Questions? Connections? 

We add updates and information to this site to inform our communities and partners on the HEF’s activities. 

For additional information, contact hef@rhphf.org