The Blood Cancer United Equity in Access Research Program is accepting proposals for research examining how health insurance status, type, design, and policy changes affect equitable access to care for people diagnosed with blood cancer. The program aims to generate evidence that can guide policy reform and changes in healthcare practice and program delivery.
The 2026 Request for Proposals specifically seeks actionable research on insurance-related barriers to blood cancer care, with an emphasis on identifying solutions that can improve access, affordability, quality of care, and patient outcomes. Blood Cancer United will provide up to $750,000 per study.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Principal Investigators may be at any career stage, including investigators who have not previously conducted blood cancer research. (siteman-washu)
- The Primary PI must hold a PhD, MD, ScD, JD, or equivalent doctoral degree.
- The research team must include expertise in the public-policy area most relevant to the proposed study, such as Medicare, Medicaid, ACA Marketplace plans, or commercial insurance.
- Proposals should focus on how insurance arrangements or policy changes create barriers to equitable blood cancer care and should identify actionable policy or healthcare-delivery solutions.
- Projects should be capable of generating evidence relevant to policy reform and/or changes in healthcare practice and program delivery.
Funding Details:
- Maximum funding: $250,000 per year
- Maximum project period: 3 years
- Maximum total budget: $750,000 over 3 years, including indirect costs.
- Indirect costs are limited to 11.1% of total direct costs during the funding term.
Deadline:
- Mandatory LOI deadline: September 10, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET
- Full proposal invitations: November 12, 2026
- Invited full proposal deadline: February 4, 2027 at 3:00 PM ET
- Award notification: July 2027
- Funding start date: October 1, 2027.
- Current status: Open
Further Information:
- Official program information and application details: Visit the Blood Cancer United Equity in Access Research Grants page for the current RFP, deadlines, application resources, and program updates.
- Official 2026 RFP: Review the Request for Proposals – Understanding How Health Insurance Affects Equity in Access to Care for detailed eligibility, scientific scope, budget requirements, and application instructions.
- Official announcement: Read Blood Cancer United’s 2026 funding announcement for the current award amount, RFP focus, and key dates.
- Application process: The program uses a mandatory LOI followed by an invitation-only full application; applicants should access the current application resources through the official Equity in Access program page.
- Important source note: The June 2025 webinar PDF you shared relates to the previous funding cycle and should not be used as the main guidance for the 2026 RFP. For the current cycle, rely on the 2026 RFP and official program page.