AMA Community Health Impact Lab Micro Grants

Status: 🟡 APPLIED - Awaiting Decision (April 30, 2026) Prior Relationship: New (inaugural program) Submitted: February 28, 2026 (Friday, 4:39 PM) Deadline: March 1, 2026 (11:59 PM Central Time) Decision Date: April 30, 2026

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Opportunity Overview

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Application Status: SUBMITTED

Our Submission: "Thrive Against Hunger"

Title: Thrive Against Hunger: Using Digital Health Technology to Identify, Navigate, and Reduce Food Insecurity in Underserved Miami-Dade Communities

PI: Dr. David R. Brown, Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, FIU HWCOM Co-Investigator: Dr. Nana Aisha Garba, Associate Professor, Department of Medical Education Co-Investigator: Dr. Frederick Anderson, Associate Professor, Medical Director of NeighborhoodHELP Technology Lead: Troy Stefano, CEO & Research Scientist, Health Copilot AI, Inc. Organization: The Florida International University Board of Trustees (DBA: Florida International University)

Budget Summary:

Community Partners:

1. Farm Share (14125 SW 320th Street, Homestead, FL 33033) - Primary food assistance partner; direct food distribution, statewide pantry network, co-located distribution events. Contact: Stephen Shelley (stephen@farmshare.org)
2. Joshua's Heart Foundation - Regular food distribution events in underserved neighborhoods
3. Caring for Miami - Mobile Food Market, Marketplace Food Pantry, Weekend Meals for Kids program
4. Feeding South Florida - Food distribution coordination and pantry access ($3,000)
5. Health Copilot AI, Inc. (4145 Wellington Shores Dr., Wellington, FL 33449) - Technology platform provider; HIPAA-compliant cloud hosting, CareOrb AI infrastructure, AI-driven service navigation, food insecurity module configuration, Spanish integration. Contact: Troy Stefano (troy@healthcopilotai.com, 786-502-7554)

Keywords: Food insecurity, digital health, social determinants of health, community engagement, mHealth

Files Uploaded:

• combinedbiosketchesFIUAMACHIL.pdf (Biosketches)
• combinedLOSFIUAMACHILFINAL.pdf (Letters of Support)
• BudgetFIUAMACHILUpload.docx (Budget)

See SUBMITTED-APPLICATION.md for full application content.

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Scoring Analysis

Scoring Rationale:

• Funder Alignment (4.5): AMA explicitly targets food insecurity, community health, and populations with limited access -- core NHELP/Thrive territory. Slight deduction because AMA is physician-focused rather than community health infrastructure-focused.
• Capability Match (5.0): HWCOM has physician faculty (Drs. Brown, Garba, Anderson) for PI requirement, Thrive platform for SDOH screening, NHELP infrastructure for community delivery, and Health Copilot AI for technology. Complete match.
• Success Probability (3.5): National competition with 20 awards from ~252+ expected submissions (based on LOI count from other AMA programs). FIU has strong positioning but no prior AMA relationship. Inaugural program means less predictability. Internal AMA staff review (not external peer review).
• Strategic Value (4.0): Establishes AMA relationship, positions HWCOM as community health innovator. Scalability emphasis could amplify Thrive model nationally. Success opens door to future AMA funding.
• Resource Efficiency (4.5): $50K with manageable application requirements. Total project leverages $76K in in-kind contributions for 2.5:1 leverage ratio.

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Eligibility Requirements

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Review Criteria (Inferred from AMA Sources)

AMA applications are reviewed by internal AMA staff (not external peer reviewers). Key evaluation dimensions:

1. Clear Health Challenge - Does the project address a meaningful community health need?
2. Innovation - Creative, novel approaches to community health
3. Feasibility - Can the project be completed in 12 months on $50K?
4. Measurable Impact - Short-term outcomes within the grant period + long-term projections
5. Scalability/Replicability - Potential for wider adoption in other communities
6. Physician Leadership - Active physician PI driving the project
7. Community Partnerships - Collaborating organizations identified with clear roles

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Program Context

Why AMA Created This Program

The Community Health Impact Lab is a new AMA initiative launched under CEO John Whyte, MD, MPH (who succeeded James Madara, MD, in June 2025). It is housed within the AMA Center for Optimal Health Outcomes and represents a strategic expansion of AMA's health equity and community health investment.

Key leadership quotes:

"Doctors see every day how factors like food insecurity, housing, and transportation access directly affect patients' health -- often having broad impact across entire communities. Through this program and investment, the AMA empowers physicians to design creative solutions that address community needs while using our national reach to scale what works -- turning local innovation into lasting, national change." -- John Whyte, MD, MPH, AMA CEO

"We are looking for projects that will demonstrate impact on the health of communities in innovative ways." -- Emily Cleveland Manchanda, MD, MPH, Director, AMA Center for Optimal Health Outcomes

Post-Award Support

Grantees will receive:

• Measurement tools and coaching from the AMA Center for Optimal Health Outcomes
• Access to AMA Ed Hub educational resources
• National visibility through AMA communications

Funding Distribution

All $50,000 is dispersed up front after contracting processes are completed.

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Sponsor Profile: American Medical Association

Other AMA Funding Opportunities (Relevant to FIU)

See SPONSOR-PROFILE.md for comprehensive sponsor analysis.

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Timeline

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Contact Information

Internal Contacts (FIU Team)

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Files in This Folder

027-ama-community-health/
├── README.md                              # This file
├── application/
│   ├── APPLICATION-MATERIALS.md           # Application requirements guide
│   ├── SUBMITTED-APPLICATION.md           # Full extracted application content
│   └── 2026-03_submitted-application_ama-chil.pdf  # Original submission PDF
├── research/
│   ├── SCRAPED-CONTENT.md                 # Original scraped AMA program content
│   └── SPONSOR-PROFILE.md                # Comprehensive AMA sponsor analysis
├── drafts/
│   └── [empty - application submitted]
└── supporting-docs/
    ├── INVENTORY.md
    ├── 2026-02_budget-instructions_ama.pdf
    ├── 2026-02_cvent-guide_ama.pdf
    ├── 2026-02_faq_ama.pdf
    └── 2026-02_guidelines_ama.pdf