Healthy People 2025 Grants: How Nonprofits Can Build Impactful Collaborations for Health Equity

Why Health Equity Funding Is Expanding in 2025

In 2025, the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg (FHSP) and Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital (OHBH) launched the Healthy People 2025 Grants, a $1 million initiative to advance health equity in South St. Petersburg.

Through this program, FHSP and OHBH will fund four multi-sector collaborations, awarding up to $250,000 each to partnerships that unite nonprofits, healthcare providers, civic groups, and community leaders. These collaborations will tackle the root causes of health disparities, including housing, economic stability, education, and access to care within the city's priority ZIP codes (33705, 33711, and 33712).

By focusing on the social determinants of health (SDOH) and driving systems-level change, the initiative aims to remove structural barriers and create sustainable, measurable improvements in community well-being.

Breaking Down the Healthy People 2025 Grant Program

Who Can Apply

The Healthy People 2025 Grants are open to nonprofits and community partnerships working to advance health equity in South St. Petersburg.

To qualify, the lead applicant must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

• The lead applicant must be a 501(c)(3), 509(a)(1), or 509(a)(3) nonprofit that has been officially recognized as tax-exempt for at least one year.
• Each proposal must represent a multi-sector collaboration that brings together organizations from healthcare, education, business, government, or community services.
• All projects must serve residents within the priority ZIP codes: 33705, 33711, and 33712.

Only nonprofits that meet all the above eligibility criteria may serve as the lead applicant. Still, cross-sector partnerships are strongly encouraged and may include non-profit partners such as businesses, public agencies, or faith-based organizations.

Priority Focus Areas

Projects must focus on at least one key Social Determinant of Health (SDOH), the social and environmental conditions that shape people's lives and health.

1. Economic Stability

Strengthen pathways to financial security by expanding access to jobs, workforce training, small business support, or income-building opportunities. Projects also address barriers such as unemployment, underemployment, or a lack of financial literacy.

2. Education

Promote equitable access to quality education at every stage, from early learning to adult education. Efforts could include improving school readiness, academic support, and career-readiness programs that link learning to long-term health outcomes.

3. Social & Community Context

Foster stronger relationships, trust, and engagement within communities. Initiatives could focus on civic participation, leadership development, or building social networks that increase belonging and mutual support.

4. Health Care Access & Quality

Expand affordable, high-quality care by improving connections between healthcare providers and residents. This may include preventive care, culturally competent services, or programs that bridge clinical and community health.

5. Neighborhood & Built Environment

Create safe, healthy, and connected places to live. Projects may address housing stability, transportation access, green space development, or efforts to reduce environmental hazards.

FHSP and OHBH are looking for projects that create long-term, systemic change, not just short-term services. They want proposals that use data and an equity-focused approach to address the root causes of inequities in South St. Petersburg.

Grant Size & Duration

• Total Funding Available : $1 million across all awards.
• Maximum Grant per Collaboration : Up to $250,000, depending on project scope, scale, and partnership structure.
• Grant Period : Projects may run for 12 to 24 months, allowing flexibility for both pilot and multi-year initiatives.
• Future Consideration : Promising collaborations that demonstrate measurable community impact may be considered for continued funding following the 2025 grant cycle.

How to Apply for Healthy People 2025 Funding

1. Find the RFP

All application materials and eligibility details are available through the FHSP Grants Portal at healthystpete.fluxx.io.

2. Submit a Letter of Interest (LOI)

Organizations must prepare a 5-page LOI outlining:

• Project overview and the intended systems-change outcome.
• Target communities and ZIP codes served (33705, 33711, and 33712).
• Data and equity metrics that guide your approach.
• Collaboration structure and defined partner roles.
• Letters of Commitment from confirmed partners.

Submit your LOI via the portal by May 27, 2025, at 5:00 PM EST.

3. Invitation to Apply

Selected collaborations will be invited to submit full proposals by late June 2025.

Key Dates

• LOI Deadline : May 27, 2025
• Invitations for Full Proposals : Week of June 23, 2025
• Full Proposal Deadline : August 29, 2025
• Award Announcements : Week of October 6, 2025

Full application details and submission instructions : View the official FHSP RFP PDF

Please confirm all deadlines and details on the official FHSP website, as dates and requirements may be subject to change.

Future Opportunities : Upcoming rounds, anticipated in 2026, may follow revised timelines based on evaluations and outcomes from the 2025 Healthy People cohort.

Learn more : healthystpete.foundation/healthy-people

How to Build a Strong and Competitive Healthy People 2025 Application

Winning the Healthy People 2025 Grant takes more than a strong idea; it requires a clear strategy for systems change, authentic collaboration, and measurable community impact. Here are five ways to make your proposal stand out with the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg (FHSP) and Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital (OHBH).

1. Connect Your Project to Systems Change

FHSP and OHBH are seeking projects that address the root causes of inequity, not just its symptoms.

Show how your work will make lasting change in areas like housing, healthcare access, education, or economic stability.

Use data and community evidence to demonstrate how your initiative will shift policies, practices, or local systems that create inequities.

Example: Instead of only describing a food distribution program, explain how your partnership expands long-term food access through zoning updates, workforce training, or local food ecosystem growth.

2. Show Real Cross-Sector Collaboration

Strong proposals demonstrate how partners bring different strengths to the table. Clearly define each organization's role and accountability using signed Letters of Collaboration.

Include diverse partners from nonprofits and healthcare providers to small businesses, schools, and community groups, all working toward a shared equity goal.

3. Use Data to Drive and Demonstrate Impact

FHSP values collaborations that can track progress across multiple systems such as healthcare, housing, and education.

Explain how your team will collect, analyze, and share data to measure outcomes, inform strategy, and adapt as you go.

Tools like GridSocial by SocialRoots.ai can make this easier by helping teams coordinate partners, capture community impact data, and build real-time dashboards that meet FHSP's reporting standards.

Using such tools demonstrates your readiness for collective impact, transparency, and data accountability, key qualities FHSP looks for in grantees.

4. Center Community Voice and Experience

Successful projects are shaped with, not just for, the community.

Include South St. Petersburg residents and local leaders in planning, decision-making, and evaluation.

Show how lived experience informs your approach, ensuring the solutions reflect real community priorities and needs.

5. Plan for Long-Term Sustainability

A competitive proposal includes a plan for what happens after the grant period ends. Explain how you'll sustain partnerships, funding, and impact, whether through shared data systems, new revenue streams, or leadership development.

Highlight your ability to meet FHSP's reporting and compliance requirements by leveraging strong infrastructure and data management tools, such as GridSocial.

Where GridSocial by SocialRoots.ai Fits In

Effective collaboration for initiatives like Healthy People 2025 depends on strong coordination and transparent data sharing. GridSocial by SocialRoots.ai supports these goals by helping multi-sector teams organize their work, track progress, and report results consistently.

With GridSocial, collaborations can:

• Monitor shared health and equity indicators in real time.
• Simplify reporting to meet funder transparency standards.
• Coordinate activities across multiple organizations through one secure platform.
• Present clear, data-driven dashboards that reflect collective progress.

Using a shared system like GridSocial helps partners stay aligned, accountable, and focused on measurable community outcomes.

Conclusion: Turning Collaboration into Impact

The Healthy People 2025 grant gives nonprofits, civic groups, and healthcare organizations in South St. Petersburg a powerful opportunity to work together for lasting change. With $1 million in total funding, the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg (FHSP) and Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital (OHBH) are supporting partnerships that combine innovation, collaboration, and racial equity to create measurable community impact.

Looking ahead to 2026, FHSP plans to continue investing in data-driven collaboration and sustainable systems change. Organizations that begin strengthening their partnerships now, engaging residents, aligning around equity goals, and building data capacity will be best prepared to lead South St. Petersburg's next chapter of transformation.