Annual
Call for
Letters of Intent
Next Open Period
June 1 - July 6, 2027
For Funding Available
Late 2027
The Portes Foundation Is Now Reviewing Letters of Intent Submitted During the Recent Open Period For Projects To Be Completed In 2027.
The Portes Foundation solicits letters of intent annually for projects in health promotion and disease prevention. To be considered for an award to be granted in late 2026 and completed the following year, a letter of intent was required to be submitted during the open period that ended July 6, 2026. After an initial review, select projects will be asked to submit a full proposal that will be due by October 1, 2026. Funding for awards selected from the recent open period will be available in late 2026 for projects to be completed in 2027. We anticipate the next Open Period will begin June 1, 2027 for projects to be completed in 2028.
Research Proposals
Each year, the Portes Foundation invites proposals that explore research or implementation ideas important in health promotion and disease prevention. These projects may be investigative in etiologic factors, preventive measures, primary and secondary prevention screening, and education. Projects in patient education or health professionals’ education will also be considered. All projects must include a complete and thorough evaluation component.
The Portes Foundation Mission
The Portes Foundation awards “seed-money” grants for projects in many areas of human wellness including grants for medical research, education, and clinical programs in the areas of health maintenance and disease prevention. In particular, the focus is on enabling investigators to launch new and promising lines of research focused on these areas and including the impact on patients and families.
Priority Funding Areas
RESEARCH
The Portes Foundation seeks opportunities to enable young investigators to launch new and promising lines of research aimed at disease prevention and treatment including pilot studies and collaborative projects.
EDUCATION
Educational projects supported by the Portes Foundation include both professional development efforts and patient education designed to improve health maintenance and disease prevention.
CLINICAL PROGRAMS
The Portes Foundation welcomes proposals from clinicians in the practice setting including nurses and other allied health professionals with an interest in the development of programs to improve health maintenance and disease prevention.
Portes Foundation Meritorious Lifetime Achievement Award
The Portes Foundation is honored to recognize our retired board member, Dr. Alejandro Aparicio, with the Portes Foundation Meritorious Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Aparicio recently retired from the board of the Portes Foundation as well as from his position with the American Medical Association (AMA). He has been licensed as a practicing physician in the State of Illinois since 1984 and has served in numerous leadership positions at both local and national levels for nearly 40 years. His contributions range from his service in the United States Army Reserve to working with patients, teaching medical professionals, leading professional organizations, and serving as the Director of Medical Education Programs for the AMA.
Dr. Aparicio was born in Cuba in the 1950s and migrated to the United States as a teen. He became a United States citizen and attended the University of Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. While an undergraduate student, he was the recipient of the Sidney M. Jourard Outstanding Leadership Award and served as President of the National Honor Society. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Universidad Central del Este in the Dominican Republic and completed his residency at Ravenswood Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Aparicio served in the United States Army Reserve upon completing his residency and was honorably discharged with the rank of Major.
Beginning in 1985, Dr. Aparicio served in a number of roles with Advocate Health here in Chicago. In addition to his practice in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, he served as the Associate Medical Director and Director of Medical Education at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago. He served on the Board of Directors of Advocate from 2004 to 2012 and chaired the Continuing Medical Education Committee. He also served on the Board of Governors for Advocate Kutsch College of Nursing from 1997 through 2003.
In September of 2004, he took on the role of Director of Continuing Professional Development with the American Medical Association (AMA) and became the Director of Medical Education Programs in 2014.
He has held appointments at the University of Illinois College of Medicine since 1985, and has been on the Board of Directors or served as an officer in several professional organizations such as The Global Alliance for Medical Education, Hispanocare, and the National Task Force on Continuing Medical Education. He received a presidential appointment to the White House Conference on Aging in 2005.
The award was presented on April 26, 2025. We thank Dr. Aparicio for his service to the Portes Foundation and commend him for a lifetime of service in the field of medicine.
Our Partners
The Portes Foundation is part of a cooperative effort among a group of healthcare foundations and institutions whose purpose is achieving synergies, expansion, of individual foundation programs, and the development of new joint programs in healthcare.
Member organizations include:
Hektoen Institute
www.hektoen.org
Institute of Medicine of Chicago
www.iomc.org
Michael Reese Research & Education Foundation
www.michaelreesefoundation.org
Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago
www.phimc.org
The Portes Foundation
www.portesfoundation.org