Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award Program Nomination Information

• Baltimore-City-focused program or a project based at the Baltimore City community-based organization (CBO) that addresses one or more of the following issues: health and health equity, poverty, community health and well-being, social justice, and neighborhood development.
• The program has been developed collaboratively by at least one community-based organization and at least one Johns Hopkins faculty, student, or staff member.
• Both the collaboration and the nominated program/project must be active and at least two years old.
• Program collaborators can either nominate the eligible program themselves, or the program can be nominated by others closely familiar with it (e.g., program participants, etc.).
• Eligible programs nominated in the past that did not receive the award may be nominated again.
• Priority will be given to locally-established initiatives that work to improve health and health equity, social determinants of health, especially housing and education, child and adolescent health and well-being, aim to alleviate poverty, address inequalities and disparities, and strengthen the social fabric of a neighborhood.

Award nominations are accepted online annually. Nominations should include: 

1. Contact information from each collaborating organization.
2. Summary of the nominated program (200 words)
3. Description of the nominated program and the collaboration (1,800 words) including:

• History: How did the team form? What role did collaborators play in creating the nominated program?
• Program's mission, vision, goals, and objectives: What is the nominated program trying to accomplish? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs)? What tactics are used to achieve the goals? How are the outcomes evaluated?
• Structure: Describe the administrative and financial structure that supports the work of the collaboration and how decisions are made.
• Current Funding: Describe how the nominated program is currently funded, and how decisions are made when securing new or additional funding.
• Community Impact: Indicate which specific Baltimore City community neighborhood(s) the nominated community-based program impacts. Describe the impact of the nominated program, including program results, success stories, additional funding secured or needed to continue the work, etc. 
• Accomplishments: Describe a few of the major achievements of the nominated program. 
• Sustainability: Describe the plan for continuing the nominated program in the future.

4. Use of the Award Funds: In a sentence or two, share how the funds will be used if the nominated program is selected to receive this $15,000 award (100 words).
5. References: Provide the names and contact information of up to three individuals familiar with the nominated program and the collaboration.

Nominations will be reviewed by university and community leaders who serve on UHI’s Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award Selection Committee. Decisions are made based on the information described in the submitted nomination. The review is a two-step process. 

1. The Selection Committee members score eligible nominations independently, focusing on the content of the submitted information.
2. The Committee meets to discuss the nominations, their scores, program sustainability, and projected use of the award funds, and collectively selects the Winning Program. 

It is anticipated that the award recipient will be selected and notified in mid-September 2025. 

To learn about past recipients of UHI’s Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award, please visit this webpage. 

This year’s recipient will be selected mid-September, and the collaboration would be formally recognized during the Award Ceremony on Saturday, October 4, 2025, during the annual Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture hosted by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical & Translational Research. We encourage representatives from both collaborating organizations and program participants to attend the ceremony and the Lecture. The UHI will secure event tickets for all Ceremony participants. 

As part of the award recognition, UHI will produce a professional video showcasing interviews and footage from the October 4th ceremony of the award-winning community-based program. Interviews and video production are scheduled to begin in mid-September. To learn more about the video’s purpose and what to expect, click here.  

A: Please indicate the school and department that supports your work specifically related to the nominated program. This may or may not include any funds administration and oversight for your work. 

A: Yes, if you work with multiple Baltimore City organizations on programs eligible for the award, please submit a separate nomination for each program.

A: The UHI offers this award to (1) highlight the importance of community-university collaborations, (2) recognize the accomplishments that can be achieved by such collaborations, and (3) continue to support the efforts of the collaborations. While holding an official position at both collaborating organizations does not affect program eligibility status, the description of the nominated program should clearly reflect its collaborative foundation, structure, and work.

A: Our definition of a Baltimore City community-based organization (CBO) includes non-profits and local groups or coalitions serving the community. In most cases, CBOs exclude corporations (e.g., LLCs), but grassroots businesses, co-ops, or social enterprises that offer community-based services and collaborate often with other nonprofits are considered eligible for this opportunity.

A: The focus of the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute is specific and limited to organizations serving and located in Baltimore City, and through this Award, we aim to reconnect research with the community as a way to honor the memory of Mrs. Lacks. So, unfortunately, a program located in Baltimore County and/or serving county residents is not eligible for this Award.

A: Both the partnership/collaboration and the nominated project/program must be at least 2 years old.

A: Previously nominated programs that were not selected as the Winner of the Henrietta Lacks Memorial Award, including those recognized as runners up or given an honorable mention, are welcome to reapply. However, it's important to avoid submitting the exact same nomination. The Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute regularly solicits feedback and reviews communications, striving to improve the nomination and selection processes.

A: An optional budget narrative can be included in the Use of Award Funds section of the nomination. The level of detail is up to you, but it needs to clearly explain how the awarded funds will be utilized in this collaborative project or program. There is also an option to upload a budget at the end of the application to provide further details.

A: Award funds will be sent directly to the community-based organization of the collaboration. As part of the UHI's ongoing effort to address systemic challenges in paying community collaborators at JHU, we encourage the collaborating community organization to work with the JHU financial support representative to review, update, or create the JHU PaymentWorks vendor profile after submitting the nomination. The new vendor setup process typically takes around 6-8 weeks.