Commentary

American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Offers Racially Discriminatory Grant

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • February 21, 2025

The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) Foundation is restricting eligibility for a research grant to members of certain racial groups.

The grant, called the Minority Research Grant, is designed “to provide research opportunities specifically for historically underrepresented minorities in biomedical research to advance representation across diverse backgrounds and promote health equity in sports medicine research,” and offers $10,000 in total funding.

The AMSSM also encourages applications to address “health disparities within sports medicine.”

Figure 1. Screenshot of AMSSM grant listing.

But there’s just one catch: eligibility for the grant is restricted by race. 

“The Principal Investigator (PI) of the grant must be an AMSSM member at the time of grant submission and meet the criteria for underrepresentation provided below,” the listing reads, noting that previous grants used the National Institutes of Health (NIH) definition of “underrepresented” which has since been deleted. 

“Since that page no longer currently exists, AMSSM would like to clarify eligibility for the 2025 grant cycle to include all of the following categories with active current references: Individuals from racial and ethnic groups shown to be underrepresented in biomedical research including Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians or Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders,” the grant listing reads, mirroring the NIH’s definition.

Figure 2. Screenshot of AMSSM grant listing.

The listing also defined “underrepresented” as including individuals with disabilities and various economically disadvantaged groups.

Unfortunately, these discriminatory grants are all too common as major medical associations prioritize DEI ideology over excellence and merit; the American Heart Association, for example, restricted eligibility for a research grant by requiring “at least 25% of key personnel of the research team must be from groups who are under-represented in science and medicine.”

The best and most ethical way to broaden opportunities for underrepresented groups is simply to reward the most deserving applicants, rather than those who happen to check the correct racial boxes.