Advancing Solutions in Patient Safety
Elevance Health Foundation’s inaugural Patient Safety Prize will award a total of $5 million to pioneering solutions that boost patient safety for communities across the United States.
About the Challenge
Building on its long-standing commitment to improve lives and communities, the Elevance Health Foundation recently launched a new initiative: Community Action Leadership. This initiative brings together external thought leaders from across a range of disciplines. Through their collective expertise and resources, the Foundation is addressing large-scale community health needs and incentivizing action for change. The inaugural Community Action Leadership challenge focuses on patient safety.
The Patient Safety Prize invites pioneering solutions in three key areas:
- Empowering Health Literacy for Safer Patient Care
- Innovating to Eliminate Medication Errors
- Promoting Fall-Free Futures
How to Participate
Here are key steps to participating in the Patient Safety Prize. Email us with questions.
Assessment
Before registering, complete our readiness tool to help determine your eligibility and to ensure your solution is a strong fit for the Patient Safety Prize.
Registration
To participate, register for the Patient Safety Prize no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Registration is required to submit an application.
Application
Registered participants who meet the eligibility criteria are welcome to submit applications. Apply no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
Peer Review
Each valid application will be scored using a common rubric and will receive feedback from five fellow applicants. Scores are normalized to ensure fairness.
Evaluation
A subset of top-scoring submissions will receive an additional set of scores and comments from five Evaluation Panel judges, using the scoring rubric. Scores are normalized to ensure fairness.
Finalist Selection
Informed by Evaluation Panel results, the Patient Safety Prize team will review top-scoring submissions and select at least five Finalists to strengthen their proposals for a final pitch event and an opportunity to receive awards.
Award Selection
The Selection Committee will recommend up to three Winners to each receive $1.5 million and up to two Honorable Mentions to each receive $250,000.
Questions & Answers
In December 2025, the Elevance Health Foundation launched the Patient Safety Prize to invite pioneering community-informed solutions that improve patient safety. There are three categories under which solutions can fall:
- Empowering Health Literacy for Safer Patient Care
- Innovating to Eliminate Medication Errors
- Promoting Fall-Free Futures
Elevance Health Foundation will offer a prize pool of up to $5 million. Up to three Winners will each receive $1.5 million and up to two Honorable Mentions will each receive $250,000.
Please contact us with any challenge-related questions, requests for help with accessibility and special accommodations, and technical support.
Once you have registered and throughout the challenge, we will send important notifications to the email address associated with your account, as well as the primary and secondary contacts listed on your registration form. There are three important steps you can take to make sure these messages are received promptly:
- Add our email address to your contacts.
- Whitelist our email address. Here are instructions to add to your whitelist in most major email providers.
- Update your registration form right away if one of your contacts changes. If you need to make a contact change after the application window has closed, please email us, and we will assist you.
The Patient Safety Prize welcomes applications from nonprofit and for-profit entities located within the United States and U.S. territories. Each applicant must identify a Lead Organization who will assume responsibility for the receipt and management of any award. The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- An entity based in the United States and/or US territories under section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or (2) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) that has received a tax determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”).
- A private foundation based in the United States and/or US territories under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS.
- A fiscally-sponsored nonprofit organization.
- A tribal government or tribal-owned enterprise.
- A public college, junior college, or university under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS.
- A PreK-12 public, private, or charter school.
- A for-profit corporation organized under the laws of a State (or territory) in the United States.
- A benefit corporation, flexible purpose entity, or similar "hybrid" entity organized under the laws of a State (or territory) in the United States.
- A limited liability company or partnership organized under the laws of a State (or territory) in the United States.
Review the Rules for a complete set of eligibility requirements.
The Patient Safety Prize invites proposals for innovative solutions that improve patient safety through community-informed solutions in three areas:
- Empowering Health Literacy for Safer Patient Care: Improving health literacy while enhancing patient and caregiver engagement, fostering trust in healthcare providers, and ultimately contributing to a culture of safety and informed decision-making.
- Innovating to Eliminate Medication Errors: Pioneer solutions that enhance medication safety, improve adherence, and reduce errors to safeguard patients’ health.
- Promoting Fall-Free Futures: Developing groundbreaking solutions to enhance fall prevention and ensure safety for the elderly.
Strong proposals should emphasize positive outcomes for vulnerable populations. Solutions may be in any stage of development – from research and ideation to operating at scale – but must demonstrate impact within the two-year project period. Be sure to review the scoring rubric to understand how applications will be evaluated.
We encourage you to first assess your fit and eligibility for the Patient Safety Prize, then register no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 to participate. Registration is required and is a simple two-step process. First, create a username and password then check your inbox to confirm your registration. Next, complete the online registration form. Once you are registered, submit your application online no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
