Heart to Heart Grant

As a women’s organization, Alpha Phi Foundation places special emphasis on women’s heart health. In 1993, Alpha Phi Foundation designed an annual grant—the Heart to Heart Grant—to encourage research and education to lessen the impact of heart disease in women.

Since its inception, the Heart to Heart Grant has invested over $1.58 million into women’s heart health initiatives.

The Heart to Heart Grant now has two arms of eligibility for two different grants, Clinical and Community:

• Clinical: projects that are traditional bench/clinical research. These projects may be from hospitals, universities/schools, or research programs. The Heart to Heart Clinical Grant is $100,000. 
• Community: projects more focused on community engagement, education, and programming as opposed to research. These proposals may come from hospitals, universities/schools, or community organizations. The Heart to Heart Community Grant is up to $25,000.

Institutions must have public charity status/nonprofit status under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3) or a Charitable Designation Number if in Canada. The proposed project/program must target care/education of women, regardless if it is Clinical or Community.

2025 Heart to Heart Grant applications are now closed.

 To view past recipients, please click here.

2025 Heart to Heart Grant Cycle

How is the grant recipient selected?

All applications are reviewed by a team of medical professionals who are also Alpha Phi alumnae. Based on top average scores, the finalists participate in a phone interview conducted by Foundation Board and staff. A recommendation is presented to the Foundation Board of Directors, who selects the recipient by a majority vote.

Who is Eligible?

• Clinical:
  • Hospitals
  • Universities/Schools
  • Research programs
• Community:
  • Hospitals
  • Universities/Schools
  • Community organizations

Additional Eligibility Requirements:

• Institutions must have public charity status/nonprofit status under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3) or a Charitable Designation Number, if in Canada.
• Programs must target education and/or care of women.

Application Details

The grant proposal should provide a complete explanation of the project’s rationale and proposed activities. It should include:

• Description of the issue or problem
• Project goals and objectives
• Project activities
• Work plan including a timetable of activities and responsible staff
• Evaluation plan
• List of deliverables
• Dissemination plan
• Qualifications of the applicant and proposed staff
• Budget narrative
• Additional funding sources that have been secured or are being sought

Required application attachments:

• Copy of the Institution’s IRS Determination Letter or Canadian Charitable Designation Letter
• Official Letter of Transmittal, signed by the President or Chief Executive Officer of the applicant organization as an organizational endorsement of the grant proposal
• Letter of Support from your Alpha Phi Nominator (if nominated by an Alpha Phi alumna or collegiate/alumnae chapter)
• Biography/Resume/CV of your project’s Principal Investigator(s) or Project Director(s)
• Your institution’s most recent Audited Financial Statements

To request more information on the Heart to Heart Grant, contact the Grants and Scholarships Manager.

FAQs

• Can an institution submit multiple applications?

  Yes. A single institution may submit multiple applications for different projects.

• Does the Heart to Heart funding mechanism support institutional overhead (indirect costs) or is the grant used just for direct costs only?

  The Heart to Heart Grants seeks to cover all or a large portion of the direct costs of a project. Funds are not provided/available for indirect costs, general operating support, and/or capital costs (such as construction, acquisition, or renovation of facilities). Funds are available for equipment expenses which are integral to the project, justified in the budget narrative, and do not exceed 5% of the total amount requested. Personnel costs related to the project are considered direct costs of a project.

• How do you define “equipment” given that it cannot exceed 5% of the budget?

  We define “equipment” as larger capital purchases such as computers, copiers, software, etc. and would expect this category to not exceed 5% of the budget. Other expenses tied directly to the execution of your project are not considered “equipment” expenses.

• Is the Letter of Support from an Alpha Phi nominator required?

  No. An Alpha Phi nomination is not a requirement for submitting an application.

• Is there a maximum duration for the performance period for the grant?

  Alpha Phi Foundation is willing to review grants that span anywhere between 12 and 24 months.

• Please define “dissemination plan.”

  Alpha Phi Foundation defines dissemination plan as the creation of a solid plan for efficient knowledge circulation among professionals and the general public.

• Since the budget is asked for in a narrative format, how much detail should we provide?

  Alpha Phi Foundation is not looking for an exhaustive list of budget items, but rather a well-rounded picture of the major budget categories that are required for your project, which ideally add up to $100,000 for Clinical proposals and $25,000 for Community proposals.

• What is an “official letter of transmittal” and what are the required elements that need to be included in such a letter?

  An official letter of transmittal is an organizational endorsement of your project by the CEO or President of your organization basically affirming that he or she is aware of your proposal and that it does align with the goals and ideals of your organization.

• Who are the Medical Readers who peer-review the applications in addition to your Board of Directors?

  Alpha Phi Foundation’s Medical Readers are Alpha Phi alumnae with medical backgrounds spanning both research and clinical work. Our Medical Readers review and evaluate all applications. Their evaluations help us determine those top candidates who will then be asked to complete a phone interview with members of Alpha Phi Foundation’s Board and Staff. A thorough review of the top candidates’ applications, as well as notes from their phone interviews, are then reviewed by the Board of Directors for final determination of the grant recipient.

• Who can sign the Letter of Transmittal?

  The Letter of Transmittal can be signed by whoever has signing authority for the applicant. This can be an Executive Director, President, Office of Sponsored Research, or similar entity.