Boston Announces $1 Million in Funding to Support Black Men's Health

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Tuesday, October 6, 2026 – Mayor Michelle Wu, the City of Boston, and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to improve Black Men's health as part of the City's Live Long and Well population health equity agenda. Earlier this year, BPHC committed $1 million to help close the nine-year life expectancy gap between Black men and other men in Boston. For this RFP, up to four qualified organizations will receive a maximum amount of $250,000 for initiatives that improve life expectancy, chronic disease, and access to care for Black men.

"In Boston, our mission is for every resident to live long and well, and we're focused on closing the life expectancy gap facing black communities. We look forward to partnering with the community organizations that can lead vital work to reduce disparities and help ensure every community in Boston is strong, healthy, and connected to opportunity," said Mayor Michelle Wu.

"A nine-year gap in life expectancy is not just a statistic - it is a call to action," said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. "Black men and the organizations serving them understand what effective solutions should look like. This funding puts resources directly into the hands of trusted community partners to expand prevention, strengthen connections to care, and address the conditions that contribute to premature death. Our goal is not simply to document this gap - it is to close it."

Live Long and Well focuses on addressing health inequities and closing the stark gap in life expectancy between communities of color and Boston neighborhoods. BPHC's report, Closing the Gap: An Examination of Life Expectancy Among Black Residents in Boston, shows that Black residents have the lowest life expectancy of any racial or ethnic group in the city.

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"The Boston Public Health Commission's $1 million investment is an important step toward closing the nine-year life expectancy gap facing Black men in Boston. Improving the health and well-being of Black men requires intentional investment, sustained partnership, and a commitment to addressing the disparities that have persisted for far too long," said Frank Farrow, Executive Director of the Office of Black Male Advancement. "Through this funding, we have an opportunity to support organizations that are creating meaningful pathways to better health outcomes and ultimately helping Black men live longer, healthier lives."

Between 2022 and 2024 Black men lived an average of 71.8 years, 9.3 years fewer than other men in Boston. Boston's Black male population experiences disproportionately high rates of preventable illnesses and premature death from screenable cancers, cardiometabolic diseases, and unintentional overdose, causing Black men to have the lowest life expectancy of all Boston residents included in this analysis. Projections show that if no additional and meaningful action is taken to reduce the inequities Boston's Black communities face, the life expectancy gap will remain the same through 2035.

"For Black men in Boston, access to affordable, culturally competent healthcare is quite literally a matter of life or death. For far too long, systemic barriers have treated basic medical care as a privilege rather than a fundamental right. This $1 million commitment is a crucial step toward building a healthcare system that honors, protects, and values Black lives at every single stage," said At-Large City Councilor Henry Santana.

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"Black men face a lower life expectancy in Boston, with across-the-board challenges to access care, pharmacies, and healthy food, as well as other stressors in their lives that exacerbate health issues," said District 4 City Councilor Brian Worrell. "These grants are vital to helping address these health gaps that we need to close."

"Black families are often the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to public health crises, hit first and hardest by systemic inequity. But we know that the well-being of one neighborhood is connected to the well-being of all of them, so when we design policies that care for those canaries, everyone benefits. This investment in Black men's health puts resources behind the communities that have carried the heaviest burden and begins to address the inequities that have shaped health outcomes for generations," said Reverend Miniard Culpepper, District 7 City Councilor.

To address this disparity, BPHC hosted the first Black Men's Health Activation Summit in June. During the Summit, community leaders discussed issues facing Black men and helped inform the goals of the RFP, which focuses on supporting four priority areas that intersect health and well-being. Organizations can submit proposals that strengthen prevention efforts, support mental and behavioral health, promote economic mobility, and build strong social networks and community connections. Applicants for the RFP must be Boston-based community organizations, nonprofits, community coalitions, faith-based organizations, partnerships between organizations, and organizations that serve Black men or communities of color with experience and impact addressing health inequities.

Going forward, an annual $1 million investment will be made from the Declaration of Racism as a Public Health Crisis fund to continue this work as part of the city's Live Long and Well agenda.
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