This grant program supports projects that make a lasting impact in the community, address a pressing need, or present a unique approach to an ongoing challenge. Grant activities will benefit patients, osteopathic physicians, and their communities. Click here to view the 2025 RFP. Proposals are due September 9, 2025.
Eligible applicants must be nonprofit organizations or have a sponsorship agreement with a nonprofit. Additional details about the grant program, the application process, and contact information for questions is included in the RFP.
The POMA Foundation is excited to engage directly with those supporting the osteopathic profession, its principles, and its practices to support projects that impact the community.
Status: The application window is currently CLOSED. All 2025 proposals were due by September 9, 2025.
2025 Proposal Review and Timetable
This timetable provides key dates and deadlines for the span of application process.
- RFP Release Date: August 12
- Proposals Due: September 9
- Funding Decisions: November 9
- Project Start Date: January 1, 2026
Saint Joseph's University, Institute of Clinical Bioethics, Philadelphia
Project: Health Promoter Clinics
Amount/Grant Program: $100,000 Community Enhancing Grant
Grant period: January 2025-December 2026
DESCRIPTION: Interdisciplinary medical care teams provide free health assessments in high-trust environments (places of worship, consulates, community organizations) where immigrants, including those who are undocumented, can feel at ease without fear of deportation. Each clinic is staffed with student interpreters fluent in the community’s language and culture. Clinics operate once a month/site during weekends, serving about 5,000 patients annually. To ensure continuity of care/treatment, patients receive referrals to free diagnostics and treatment.
LATEST UPDATE: From October 16, 2025, to March 1, 2026, 16 clinics were held at these regular locations:
- Consulate of Guatemala (Guatemalan immigrants)
- Consulate of Mexico (Mexican immigrants)
- Saint Cyprian Roman Catholic Church (West African and Nigerian immigrants)
- Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church (Vietnamese and Indonesian immigrants)
- The Mother of Mercy House in Kensington (immigrants and other community members)
- Murphy’s Giving Market in Upper Darby (Latinx and Bengalese immigrants, and other community members)
- Divine Mercy Parish in Southwest Philadelphia (new in January 2026)
ICE IMPACT: Father Peter Clark, Director of the Institute of Clinical Bioethics, reports a slight decrease in the number of patients going to clinics, but says clinics still average 80-100 patients. He credits the fact that most clinics are held in churches but also the high level of trust patients have in the medical students, medical residents and the ICB fellows who staff the clinics. There’s a protocol for students if ICE agents do appear.
LEARN MORE: https://www.sju.edu/centers/icb/research-projects
Health Promoter Clinic at Mother of Mercy House in Kensington, February 14, 2026, serving 60+ patients
