Request for Proposal: Public Health Futurist Consultant

Published: November 14, 2025
Estimated funding amount: up to $50,000
Project period: January 2025 – June 2026
Application deadline: December 10, 2025, at 9:00 p.m. ET

Opportunity

The National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) seeks an experienced futurist or foresight consultant (the“Consultant”) to support the Next Generation Public Health  Systems Initiative (NxGen PH)—a national effort to envision strategies that ensure the U.S. public health system remains future-ready and equipped to respond to the
needs of the future and adapt core public health service delivery accordingly. This consultant will bring expertise in foresight, scenario planning, and long-term systems thinking to help NNPHI and public health institute partners anticipate and shape the public health landscape amid technological advances, shifting governance structures, and potential funding realignments.

Background

Public health systems across the United States are under strain from declining federal funding, political polarization, and persistent workforce shortages. Concurrently, advances in technology —particularly artificial intelligence—offer both opportunities and risks for public health practice. NNPHI represents an active network of 51 public health
institutes, non-profits that advance public health through public-private partnerships. NextGen PH seeks to develop and document innovative strategies for diversifying state, local, tribal, and territorial health department funding, responsibly integrating technology, and strengthening governance and partnership across the public health ecosystem. The initiative will convene a national steering committee and several working groups representing health departments, public health institutes, and community organizations to contribute to the development of a strategic public health action agenda intended to support the safeguarding of core public health services for the long-term, even under a shifting political and resource landscape.

The Consultant will help NNPHI and its public health institute partners imagine possible futures and identify potential disruptors throughout the development of the action agenda. The selected Consultant will be expected to collaborate and align work with other project teams. Project teams include the steering committee, a systems thinking team, and several topic focused workgroups.

Scope of work

The Consultant will provide foresight and futurist expertise for scenario development and provide training and facilitation to build foresight capacity among project teams.

Phase 1: Foundational Foresight Training (Jan – March 2026)

• Design and facilitate interactive training sessions for steering committee and workgroup members on
  foresight thinking for public health.
• Provide tools such as but not limited to scenario mapping, STEEP analysis, and backcasting.
• Deliver slides, templates, and a facilitator guide for continued use by NNPHI.

Phase 2: Scenario Development (March – April 2026)

• Conduct an environmental scan and horizon analysis to document potential futures of the U.S. public health system, considering funding volatility, emerging technologies, and social factors.
• Deliver a written Public Health Futures Scenarios Brief (3–5 scenarios with drivers, implications, and indicators).
• This work is expected to be done in collaboration with steering committee and other project stakeholders

Phase 3: Ongoing Engagement and Insight (Feb – May 2026)

• Attend at least one meeting per workgroup to provide futurist insight and real-time feedback.
• Participate in synthesis discussions to integrate foresight findings into the NextGen Health Systems Change Action Agenda.
• Deliver an End-of-Engagement Summary Memo highlighting key trends, signals, and
  recommendations

Funding disclaimer

Funding for this RFP is not guaranteed; it is anticipatory and contingent upon receipt of expected year four continuation and appropriation of grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. Funding availability and timeline are subject to change and subject to the appropriation of this funding by the CDC. Any sub-agreements to organizations or individuals selected from this RFP will not be drafted and reviewed by NNPHI’s Grants and Contracts team until receipt of respective funds from the CDC for the fourth year of this initiative.

This work is supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for STLT Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce, OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems grant. The contents are solely the responsibility of NNPHI and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC or HHS.