The American Kidney Fund (AKF) is pleased to invite applicants for its 2026 Kidney Health Coach® (KHC) Healthy Equity Grants. These grants will expand the reach and impact of KHC to help individuals and organizations overcome financial barriers to implement KHC and spread health messaging to help at-risk populations prevent and manage chronic kidney disease.

The American Kidney Fund’s Kidney Health for All health equity programming is made possible through the generous support of sponsors. To learn more about our sponsors, please visit our website.
Please review the details below carefully before completing your application.
PURPOSE
CKD disproportionately affects communities of color. Black Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Pacific Islanders are more likely to develop kidney failure, compared to white Americans. Race confounds socioeconomic status (SES), where racial minorities with low SES have the highest risk of CKD and kidney failure. In contrast to high prevalence among these groups, there is low awareness, poor health literacy and low rates of testing. This presents a major barrier to CKD and kidney failure prevention efforts.

Kidney Health Coaches serve as trusted resources in their community encouraging people to take action to prevent CKD and slow progression to kidney failure. AKF will provide grants to existing coaches to support their work in helping at-risk populations prevent and manage kidney disease.

KHC Grant Objectives
After supporting KHC grantees with 1 year of funding, AKF will:
  • Increase number of KHCs to expand reach and impact
  • Grow AKFs reach/partnerships at the community level
  • Gain insight on impact (long term impact among coaches and community)
  • Reach at-risk populations: Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Asian Pacific Islander populations
  • Prevent CKD and disease progression
AVAILABLE GRANTS
For the 2026 grant cycle, AKF will select 40 coaches to receive a single grant of $500 each.

Grant Timeline: March 16, 2026 to March 15, 2027
To maintain this grant, AKF requires grantees to:
  • Actively participate in the KHC grantee virtual meetings:
    • Kick-off meeting
    • 3-month progress meeting
    • 6-month follow-up meeting
    • 1 year completion meeting
  • Use provided AKF/KHC branded materials when tabling events, conducting education sessions, or other KHC activities as appropriate:
    • AKF/KHC logo
    • KHC tablerunner
    • KHC sign
    • Welcome kit (t-shirt, tote bag, lapel pin). Note: Additional quantities available upon request, while supplies last.
  • Use AKF/KHC branded materials and resources, as applicable when tabling events, conducting education sessions or other KHC activities as appropriate:
    • Education session presentation (English or Spanish)
    • Digital attendee evaluation
    • Downloadable guides, fact sheets, infographics, and flyers. Note: Printed materials available upon request, while supplies last.
    • Social media toolkit
  • Complete the online KHC Log Form for KHC educational activities, twice a year.
  • Complete the 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year grantee reports on time.
To apply, applicants must:
  • Reside in the United States, territories, or Native American Nations
  • Have completed the most up-to-date version of the KHC online course
  • Have experience hosting education sessions or sharing information about kidney disease (e.g., social media, in-person, virtual, podcast, etc.)
  • Currently serve or plan to serve individuals in the following priority population(s): individuals at-risk for CKD (Black Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Pacific Islanders). You may utilize national databases to find demographic information such as County Health Rankings.
Applications must be completed and submitted by January 30, 2026. Only complete applications will be reviewed. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. You will be notified of grant selection in March 2026.

For questions, please email partnerships@kidneyfund.org
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