Lesbian Health Fund - Current Grant Cycle

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The Lesbian Health Fund

The 2026 LHF grant cycle is NOW OPEN!

Submit Your Proposal

You can learn more about the Lesbian Health Fund and this year's call for proposals below. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2026.

Lesbian Health Fund Background

The Lesbian Health Fund (LHF), a program of GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, was established in 1992 to define, study, and educate lesbians and other sexual minority women, as well as their healthcare providers, about health issues facing the community. Today, we are still committed to improving the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ women & girls through funding rigorous scientific research. LHF is the only US research fund dedicated solely to the unique health needs of LGBTQ+ women and girls.

Eligibility

Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty interested in pursuing a research career focused on LGBTQ+ women or girls are invited to apply. Senior scholars, faculty, and non-profit organizations interested in expanding their program of research into this population are also welcome to apply. Applicants’ organizations or institutions must have a US tax ID.

Grant award checks will be made to the primary institution or organization identified on the application cover page. Proposed research may not begin until you have received funding from LHF. Grant money is NOT awarded for completed research or for projects in progress. Current LHF grantees may not participate in a new grant as PI or Co-Investigator until LHF receives the written Final Report for their current grant.

For the 2026 grant cycle, we plan to fund grants in the range of $5,000 to $10,000 each. The LHF Grant Committee welcomes all proposals that identify or address health disparities among LGBTQ+ women and girls (e.g., sexual and/or gender minority women or girls, gender diverse people assigned female at birth); however, special consideration will be given to proposals that focus on the following:

Research that generates pilot data for subsequent training or early-stage investigator grants
Subpopulations that are often underrepresented in sexual and gender minority (SGM) research, including but not limited to:
- Adolescents/Youth
- Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color
- Bisexual people
- Gender diverse people
- Intersex individuals or individuals with differences of sex development (DSD)
- Older adults
- People who experience multiple points of marginalization
- Persons with disabilities
- Rural communities
- People with military backgrounds
Methods & frameworks
- Measurement & methods of LGBTQ+ people
- Community-informed/community-based participatory research
- Trauma-informed research
- Social & behavioral research
- Intersectionality
- Sexual and Gender Minority Health Disparities Research Framework
Topical area
- Sexual and reproductive health, including family & parenting issues
- The impact of the current political climate on health and wellbeing
- Educational initiatives (e.g., curriculum development)
- Acute care/hospitalization experiences
- Access to healthcare issues
- Across the lifespan issues
- Violence prevention

Submit an LHF Grant Proposal

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2026.

Interested in Becoming an LHF Peer Reviewer?

To get involved with LHF as a peer reviewer, please fill our our application here.

To learn more about the peer review process, connect directly with our team:
LesbianHealthFund@glma.org

Join our mission to advance LGBTQ+ women’s health! The Lesbian Health Fund is seeking expert peer reviewers for the 2026 grant cycle.

Your insights can shape groundbreaking research and drive health equity. Make a meaningful impact—apply now to support innovative studies and help transform health outcomes for LGBTQ+ women and girls.

LHF Peer Reviewer Application

FAQ's

Learn more about applying for a Lesbian Health Fund Grant.

Can I apply for an LHF Grant if:

I don’t live in the U.S. or my research is conducted outside the US?

Yes, LHF has previously funded researchers outside of the US and welcomes proposals involving LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people around the world.

Researchers must be affiliated with an organization with a US tax ID in order to be eligible for funding.

I’m not affiliated with an academic institution (e.g., I work for a healthcare organization or non-profit)?

Yes, as long as an applicant is associated with an organization or institution that has tax-exempt status, they are welcome to apply.

I’ve already started my research project?

Unfortunately, LHF does not award grants for projects in progress. The proposed research may not begin until applicants have received funding from LHF. Longitudinal studies that include new research questions may be considered.

I don’t have IRB approval yet?

Yes, IRB approval is not a requirement to submit an application; however, it is required before the release of grant funds. We highly encourage investigators begin the IRB approval process well before grant announcements are made to not delay the release of grant funds.

I don’t identify as an LGBTQ+ woman?

Yes, identifying as an LGBTQ+ woman is not required to apply for an LHF grant. However, we consider your commitment to a career as a researcher for LGBTQ+ women and girls as part of the evaluation criteria.

LGBTQ+ women and/or girls are one group of my overall sample?

Yes, a grant can include other populations, but LHF will only fund the portion of your study that focuses on LGBTQ+ women and girls. We highly encourage investigators to tailor the background and significance to LGBTQ+ women and girls and indicate that funds are only being requested for a portion of the sample in the itemized budget.

My grant is contingent upon obtaining another grant that I haven’t secured yet?

Yes, securing additional funds is not required to apply for an LHF grant. However, if the success of your study depends on secondary funding, we will not release grant funds until that funding is secured.

Will I be competitive for a grant if I am a student?

Our grantees range from master’s students to established researchers. Grant success is largely based on a scientifically rigorous research plan, the qualifications and/or training potential of the applicant, and the significance of the research question for our community.

What is my research doesn’t have direct clinical care outcomes?

LHF values the direct and indirect mechanisms and factors that influence our communities’ health, including how policies, social determinants of health, and other public health considerations shape health outcomes.

Will LHF or GLMA support my recruitment efforts?

Upon request, GLMA will disseminate recruitment calls for LHF-funded studies in their Health Digest and social media, and LHF will also share calls of their social media platforms. However, this shouldn't be cited as a primary recruitment source in the application and is usually most helpful for recruitment calls focused on healthcare providers.

If I don’t get funded, can I resubmit my grant proposal to LHF in a subsequent year?

Yes! We have a highly competitive review process and receive far more rigorous and worthy grant proposals than we can fund. We encourage you to revise and resubmit your grant proposal based on your reviewer’s feedback. Resubmissions are required to complete a new LHF grant application, and additionally include a one-page letter responding to the prior reviewer’s concerns.

Still have questions?

For all other inquiries related to the current LHF Grant Cycle, please reach out to:
LesbianHealthFund@glma.org.

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