The Commonwealth Fund’s recent giving is narrowly focused on supporting the Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice, indicating a priority on advancing health care policy research and leadership development. Grants are programmatic and self-directed, funding fellowship cohorts that develop policy and practice expertise rather than many external nonprofit projects. The foundation appears to emphasize high‑impact, professional development for health‑policy leaders who can influence health system improvement.
The Commonwealth Fund’s recent grantmaking is centered on fellowships and policy research that build health care leadership, especially through the Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice. The largest recent award, $2,345,604 in 2025, authorized the 2024-25 Harkness cohort, showing how the fund uses large programmatic grants to support training and exchange rather than a wide spread of small project awards. A separate 2025 grant of $850,000 continued the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University, and a 2024 award of $853,202 supported the same fellowship for the prior class. Those awards sit alongside a broader set of research and policy grants tied to Medicaid, health insurance access, Medicare, drug pricing, and health equity. The fund also supports international learning and comparison work, including health care performance surveys and profiles. Across these grants, the pattern is consistent: develop policy leaders, fund applied analysis, and support work that informs health system improvement.
Health equity is a clear theme in the portfolio. The Commonwealth Fund gave $638,814 to Rush University Medical Center for testing, scaling, and disseminating the Racial Equity in Healthcare Progress Report, Phase 2. It also supported the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University with $850,000 in 2025. In Medicaid work, the fund awarded $321,565 to Harvard University for research on winding down the maintenance-of-eligibility requirement and its impacts on low-income adults in four Southern states. On coverage policy, Georgetown University received $639,482 for analysis of policies affecting health insurance access, affordability, adequacy, and equity in the individual and small-group markets. The portfolio also includes Medicare and drug pricing work, with Johns Hopkins University funded to evaluate proposed Medicare policy changes and Vanderbilt University Medical Center funded for research on the Inflation Reduction Act’s price negotiation program.
The foundation’s typical grant size is $1,500 at the 25th percentile, $15,000 at the median, and $51,345 at the 75th percentile, but the recent portfolio also includes several six- and seven-figure programmatic awards. The grant list shows repeated support for the same organizations across years, including The Commonwealth Fund’s own fellowship authorizations, indicating recurring program funding rather than one-off gifts. It is a regular funder and a DAF-classified foundation, with some grants made to individuals through fellowships. Unsolicited applications are accepted for several active programs, including Medicaid, Tracking Health System Performance, Policy, Making Health Care Affordable, Advancing Medicare, and the Harkness Fellowships.
$26.5M
$922.7M
$39.8M
$52M
Most grants fall between $2K and $51K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$2K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$51K
Joseph Betancourt MD
President
Top 10 recipient countries by grant volume for Commonwealth Fund.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 1,874 | $155.7M | 96.3% |
| 2 | Netherlands | 14 |
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants that fund an internal flagship fellowship program (repeat funding for the same program/cohort).
Notable grantees: The Commonwealth Fund (Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice)
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in the United States, which accounts for 95.4% of grants. Within the U.S., New York appears most often, reflecting a strong concentration of awards in the state where the foundation gives most frequently; recipients also appear in Washington, DC, Cambridge, MA, Glen Mills, PA, Chicago, IL, Baltimore, MD, and Nashville, TN. The portfolio also reaches outside the U.S. through international fellowship and survey work, with grants connected to the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, France, Norway, and other listed locations in the recipient-country distribution.
Its active programs focus on Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice, Medicaid, Tracking Health System Performance, Policy, Making Health Care Affordable, Advancing Medicare, and journalism fellowships related to international health. The recent grants also connect to health equity, insurance coverage, Medicare, and drug pricing.
Yes for several active programs. Unsolicited applications are listed as accepted for the Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership, Medicaid, Tracking Health System Performance, the Association of Health Care Journalists International Health Study Fellowship, Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice, Policy, Making Health Care Affordable, and Advancing Medicare.
The grant-size distribution is small at the lower end and much larger for program awards: p25 is $1,500, median is $15,000, and p75 is $51,345. Recent awards include multiple six-figure grants and fellowship authorizations in the millions.
Recent grants repeatedly address health insurance access and affordability, Medicaid policy, Medicare, drug pricing, racial equity in health care, and health system performance. Specific awards include research on the individual and small-group markets, maintenance-of-eligibility impacts, Medicare solvency and spending, and the Inflation Reduction Act’s price negotiation program.
Yes. The recipient-country distribution shows 1,256 U.S. grants, or 95.4% of the total. The remaining grants are spread across the Netherlands, Oceania, Gambia, the United Kingdom, Eswatini, New Zealand, France, American Samoa, and Norway.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| $344K |
0.7% |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 13 | $266K | 0.7% |
| 4 | Other Countries | 12 | $205K | 0.6% |
| 5 | Germany | 11 | $187K | 0.6% |
| 6 | Switzerland | 9 | $73K | 0.5% |
| 7 | New Zealand | 5 | $59K | 0.3% |
| 8 | France | 4 | $67K | 0.2% |
| 9 | Australia | 3 | $58K | 0.1% |
| 10 | Canada | 1 | $133K | 0.1% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Commonwealth Fund | New York, NY | $2,345,604 | 2025 | Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice: Authorization for 2024-25 Class |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $850,000 | 2025 | The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University, 2025-26 |
| SSRS | Glen Mills, PA | $800,456 | 2025 | International Health Policy Survey, 2025 |
| Georgetown University | Washington, DC | $639,482 | 2025 | Analysis of Policies Affecting Health Insurance Access, Affordability, Adequacy, and Equity in the Individual and Small-Group Markets, Year 14 |
| Rush University Medical Center | Chicago, IL | $638,814 | 2025 | Testing, Scaling, and Disseminating the Racial Equity in Healthcare Progress Report, Phase 2 |
| SSRS | Glen Mills, PA | $560,000 | 2025 | 2025 Health Care Affordability Research, Adults 19 to 64 |
| SSRS | Glen Mills, PA | $514,781 | 2025 | The Commonwealth Fund 2024 Biennial Health Insurance Survey |
| SSRS | Glen Mills, PA | $490,115 | 2025 | International Health Policy Survey, 2024 |
| Urban Institute | Washington, DC | $440,000 | 2025 | Modeling Policies That Could Expand and Improve Health Coverage and Affordability - or Roll Back Progress |
| Urban Institute | Washington, DC | $430,800 | 2025 | Analyzing Emerging Health Reform Proposals |
| Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | $395,858 | 2025 | Evaluating Proposed Medicare Policy Changes for Their Impact on Solvency, Spending, and Beneficiaries |
| Bailit Health Purchasing LLC | Needham, MA | $384,000 | 2025 | Technical Assistance for Design and Implementation of State Strategies to Increase Affordability in Commercial Markets, Phase 2 |
| The Commonwealth Fund | New York, NY | $336,742 | 2025 | Harkness Fellowships Centennial Celebration: Authorization for Support |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Cambridge, MA | $321,565 | 2025 | Winding Down the Maintenance-of-Eligibility Requirement for Medicaid: Impacts on Low-Income Adults in Four Southern States |
| First Nation Development Institute | Longmont, CO | $312,570 | 2025 | Native American Experiences with Health Care and Maternal Care Systems |
| Bipartisan Policy Center Inc | Washington, DC | $305,538 | 2025 | Educating Policymakers and Providing Strategic Guidance on Artificial Intelligence in Health Care and Primary Payment Reform |
| AcademyHealth | Washington, DC | $302,405 | 2025 | Planning Grant to Support the Design of the Commonwealth Fund's New International U.S. Leadership Program |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, TN | $300,000 | 2025 | The Inflation Reduction Act's Price Negotiation Program: Implications for Patient Access to and Affordability of Medications |
| Center for Health Policy Development | Washington, DC | $280,053 | 2025 | Supporting State Policymakers to Understand Private Equity in Health Care through Data |
| The Brigham and Womens Hospital Inc | Boston, MA | $259,600 | 2025 | Investigating Novel Strategies for Drug Pricing and Spending Reform: Patents, Negotiation, and Pricing Policy Innovation |
| New York University | New York, NY | $254,310 | 2025 | Contributing to Health Reform: Analysis and Technical Assistance |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA | $248,881 | 2025 | Informing the Future of Medicare Advantage Policy |
| Health Care Without Harm | Reston, VA | $240,000 | 2025 | Safeguarding Access to Care Through IRA-Supported Investments in Essential Hospitals |
| Center for Health Care Strategies Inc | Hamilton, NJ | $229,538 | 2025 | Implementing Primary Care Population-Based Payments in Medicaid to Promote High-Quality, Equitable Care, Phase 2 |
| Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism | Columbia, MO | $227,725 | 2025 | U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship and International Health Study Fellowship |
| Primary Care Development Corporation | New York, NY | $220,000 | 2025 | PCDC Primary Care Investment Network, Phase 2 |
| National Association of Medicaid Directors | Washington, DC | $208,523 | 2025 | Strengthening Medicaid Programs Through Interdisciplinary Leadership |
| United States of Care Campaign | Arlington, VA | $200,000 | 2025 | Identifying Better Primary Care from the People's Perspective |
| The Health Initiative Inc | Concord, MA | $199,939 | 2025 | Investing in Health: Unlocking Dollars to Improve Health (Phase II) |
| The Commonwealth Fund | New York, NY | $188,882 | 2025 | Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice: Authorization for 2025-26 Class |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $188,194 | 2025 | Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University, 2024-26 |
| The Commonwealth Fund | New York, NY | $184,516 | 2025 | Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice, 2023-24 |
| Center for Health Policy Development | Washington, DC | $180,292 | 2025 | State Health and Human Services Leadership Network (2024) |
| Institute for Healthcare Improvement | Cambridge, MA | $179,913 | 2025 | Supporting Health Care Delivery Organizations to Accelerate Decarbonization, Phase 2 |
| The Regents of the University of California | Berkeley, CA | $179,826 | 2025 | Impact of Equity-Focused Initiatives and Financial Incentives on Racial Disparities in Ambulatory Care Quality |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $179,744 | 2025 | Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University, 2023-25 |
| Project Hope The People to People Health Foundation Inc | Bethesda, MD | $160,000 | 2025 | Health Policy at a Crossroads |
| The Century Foundation Inc | New York, NY | $160,000 | 2025 | Examining Options for Medicaid Reform |
| Manatt Phelps and Phillips LLP | New York, NY | $160,000 | 2025 | How Medicaid State Directed Payments Support Safety Net Providers and Risks of Funding Reductions |
| National Association of Community Health Centers Inc | Bethesda, MD | $160,000 | 2025 | Assessing the Capabilities to Advance Behavioral Health Integration in Community Health Centers |
| Patient Centered Primary Care Foundation | Washington, DC | $160,000 | 2025 | Strengthening Primary Care and Medicare Through Primary Care Payment Reform, Phase 4 |
| Boston Globe Life Sciences Media LLC | Boston, MA | $160,000 | 2025 | STAT Reporting on Health Inequities, 2024-25 |
| Regents of the University of California at San Diego | San Diego, CA | $160,000 | 2025 | Informing the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, Phase 2 |
| The Century Foundation Inc | New York, NY | $160,000 | 2025 | Health Reform: Past Surprises to Inform Future Success |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Boston, MA | $160,000 | 2025 | Hospital Sustainability: Estimating the Financial, Health, and Environmental Costs and Benefits to the Hospital and to Society |
| The George Washington University | Washington, DC | $160,000 | 2025 | Current and Future Directions in Health Reform: Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act |
| Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | $160,000 | 2025 | Postpartum Assessment of Health Survey (PAHS) |
| The Aspen Institute Inc | Washington, DC | $160,000 | 2025 | Aspen Ideas: Health 2025 |
| Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute for Texas | Dallas, TX | $160,000 | 2025 | Aligning Innovators and Policymakers for Scalable Mental Health Transformation |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $159,984 | 2025 | Health Equity Fellow - AHE Team Support, Year 2 |
The Commonwealth Fund
$2,345,604Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice: Authorization for 2024-25 Class
President and Fellows of Harvard College
$850,000The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University, 2025-26
SSRS
$800,456International Health Policy Survey, 2025
Georgetown University
$639,482Analysis of Policies Affecting Health Insurance Access, Affordability, Adequacy, and Equity in the Individual and Small-Group Markets, Year 14
Rush University Medical Center
$638,814Testing, Scaling, and Disseminating the Racial Equity in Healthcare Progress Report, Phase 2
SSRS
$560,0002025 Health Care Affordability Research, Adults 19 to 64
SSRS
$514,781The Commonwealth Fund 2024 Biennial Health Insurance Survey
SSRS
$490,115International Health Policy Survey, 2024
Urban Institute
$440,000Modeling Policies That Could Expand and Improve Health Coverage and Affordability - or Roll Back Progress
Urban Institute
$430,800Analyzing Emerging Health Reform Proposals
Johns Hopkins University
$395,858Evaluating Proposed Medicare Policy Changes for Their Impact on Solvency, Spending, and Beneficiaries
Bailit Health Purchasing LLC
$384,000Technical Assistance for Design and Implementation of State Strategies to Increase Affordability in Commercial Markets, Phase 2
The Commonwealth Fund
$336,742Harkness Fellowships Centennial Celebration: Authorization for Support
President and Fellows of Harvard College
$321,565Winding Down the Maintenance-of-Eligibility Requirement for Medicaid: Impacts on Low-Income Adults in Four Southern States
First Nation Development Institute
$312,570Native American Experiences with Health Care and Maternal Care Systems
Bipartisan Policy Center Inc
$305,538Educating Policymakers and Providing Strategic Guidance on Artificial Intelligence in Health Care and Primary Payment Reform
AcademyHealth
$302,405Planning Grant to Support the Design of the Commonwealth Fund's New International U.S. Leadership Program
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
$300,000The Inflation Reduction Act's Price Negotiation Program: Implications for Patient Access to and Affordability of Medications
Center for Health Policy Development
$280,053Supporting State Policymakers to Understand Private Equity in Health Care through Data
The Brigham and Womens Hospital Inc
$259,600Investigating Novel Strategies for Drug Pricing and Spending Reform: Patents, Negotiation, and Pricing Policy Innovation
New York University
$254,310Contributing to Health Reform: Analysis and Technical Assistance
University of Southern California
$248,881Informing the Future of Medicare Advantage Policy
Health Care Without Harm
$240,000Safeguarding Access to Care Through IRA-Supported Investments in Essential Hospitals
Center for Health Care Strategies Inc
$229,538Implementing Primary Care Population-Based Payments in Medicaid to Promote High-Quality, Equitable Care, Phase 2
Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism
$227,725U.S. Health System Reporting Fellowship and International Health Study Fellowship
Primary Care Development Corporation
$220,000PCDC Primary Care Investment Network, Phase 2
National Association of Medicaid Directors
$208,523Strengthening Medicaid Programs Through Interdisciplinary Leadership
United States of Care Campaign
$200,000Identifying Better Primary Care from the People's Perspective
The Health Initiative Inc
$199,939Investing in Health: Unlocking Dollars to Improve Health (Phase II)
The Commonwealth Fund
$188,882Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice: Authorization for 2025-26 Class
Yale University
$188,194Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University, 2024-26
The Commonwealth Fund
$184,516Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice, 2023-24
Center for Health Policy Development
$180,292State Health and Human Services Leadership Network (2024)
Institute for Healthcare Improvement
$179,913Supporting Health Care Delivery Organizations to Accelerate Decarbonization, Phase 2
The Regents of the University of California
$179,826Impact of Equity-Focused Initiatives and Financial Incentives on Racial Disparities in Ambulatory Care Quality
Yale University
$179,744Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University, 2023-25
Project Hope The People to People Health Foundation Inc
$160,000Health Policy at a Crossroads
The Century Foundation Inc
$160,000Examining Options for Medicaid Reform
Manatt Phelps and Phillips LLP
$160,000How Medicaid State Directed Payments Support Safety Net Providers and Risks of Funding Reductions
National Association of Community Health Centers Inc
$160,000Assessing the Capabilities to Advance Behavioral Health Integration in Community Health Centers
Patient Centered Primary Care Foundation
$160,000Strengthening Primary Care and Medicare Through Primary Care Payment Reform, Phase 4
Boston Globe Life Sciences Media LLC
$160,000STAT Reporting on Health Inequities, 2024-25
Regents of the University of California at San Diego
$160,000Informing the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, Phase 2
The Century Foundation Inc
$160,000Health Reform: Past Surprises to Inform Future Success
Massachusetts General Hospital
$160,000Hospital Sustainability: Estimating the Financial, Health, and Environmental Costs and Benefits to the Hospital and to Society
The George Washington University
$160,000Current and Future Directions in Health Reform: Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act
Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York
$160,000Postpartum Assessment of Health Survey (PAHS)
The Aspen Institute Inc
$160,000Aspen Ideas: Health 2025
Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute for Texas
$160,000Aligning Innovators and Policymakers for Scalable Mental Health Transformation
Yale University
$159,984Health Equity Fellow - AHE Team Support, Year 2
Current and upcoming funding from Commonwealth Fund that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Primarily awards grants to tax-exempt organizations; may make grants to organizations without 501(c)(3) status in limited cases with expenditure responsibility.
Deadline: LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis unless responding to an RFP.
Who can apply: The Fund primarily awards grants to tax-exempt organizations. It may fund organizations without 501(c)(3) status or other tax-exempt recognition under expenditure responsibility when no suitable nonprofit is available. It does not support ongoing activities or existing deficits, endowment or capital costs, basic biomedical research, individuals or scholarships outside its fellowship programs, or primarily religious projects. Projects should address the program priorities and preferably clarify neglected problems, test or evaluate innovative models, disseminate effective tools, identify policy options, or analyze policy impacts.
Deadline: LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants are typically informed of LOI results within six weeks. Requests over $200,000 are generally developed for board consideration; board meetings occur in April, July, and November. Small grants of $50,000 or less and intermediate grants of $50,001 to $200,000 are approved monthly. RFP submissions may have separate deadlines.
Who can apply: Primarily tax-exempt organizations; non-tax-exempt organizations may be funded under expenditure responsibility when appropriate. Proposals should align with Fund priorities and preferably clarify neglected problems, develop or evaluate practical models, disseminate effective care tools, identify policy options, or analyze policy impacts. The Fund generally excludes ongoing activities, deficits, capital costs, basic biomedical research, and unrelated conferences or media projects.
Deadline: Rolling LOI intake. Applicants usually receive results within six weeks. Small and intermediate grants are approved monthly; requests above $200,000 generally proceed toward board review in April, July, or November. Topic-specific RFPs can impose deadlines.
Who can apply: Primarily tax-exempt organizations; other organizations may be funded under expenditure responsibility if no suitable nonprofit is available. Projects must fit Fund priorities. The Fund does not generally support ongoing activities or deficits, endowment or capital costs, basic biomedical research, or individuals and scholarships outside its fellowship programs.
Deadline: LOIs accepted on a rolling basis. Results are typically provided within six weeks. Small grants up to $50,000 and intermediate grants from $50,001 to $200,000 are approved monthly; larger requests generally go to board meetings in April, July, or November. RFPs may have separate deadlines.
Who can apply: Primarily tax-exempt organizations, with possible funding of other organizations under expenditure responsibility. Proposed work should advance the Fund’s health equity priorities and preferably address neglected problems, test or evaluate practical models, disseminate effective approaches, identify policy options, or analyze policy impacts. Capital costs, deficits, basic biomedical research, and direct individual support are excluded.
Deadline: LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis, with results usually communicated within six weeks. Small and intermediate grants are approved monthly; requests exceeding $200,000 are generally developed for board consideration in April, July, or November. RFPs may include fixed deadlines.
Who can apply: Primarily tax-exempt organizations. The Fund takes expenditure responsibility for grants to international organizations and may fund non-501(c)(3) organizations when no suitable nonprofit is available. Projects should address international health care issues and fit current Fund priorities. The Fund does not support unrelated ongoing activities, deficits, capital costs, basic biomedical research, or direct individual support outside fellowship programs.
Deadline: LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis and applicants are usually notified within six weeks. Small grants up to $50,000 and intermediate grants from $50,001 to $200,000 are approved monthly; larger requests are generally developed for board meetings in April, July, and November. RFPs may have separate deadlines.
Who can apply: Primarily awards grants to tax-exempt organizations; may make grants to organizations without 501(c)(3) status in limited cases with expenditure responsibility.
Deadline: LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis unless responding to an RFP.
Who can apply: Primarily awards grants to tax-exempt organizations; may make grants to organizations without 501(c)(3) status in limited cases with expenditure responsibility.
Deadline: LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis unless responding to an RFP.
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