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Health Forward Foundation

Grantmaker Profiles
Posted July 17, 2020
Grantmaker focus by Qiana Thomason
Morgan-Hynd

Address: 2300 Main Street, Suite 304, Kansas City, MO 64108
Phone: 816.241.7006
Email: jsykes@healthforward.org
Web: www.healthforward.org

Health Forward Foundation (formerly the Health Foundation of Greater Kansas City) was created from the proceeds of the sale of the Health Midwest hospital system to HCA.  The foundation serves the city of Kansas City, Missouri; Allen, Johnson, and Wyandotte counties in Kansas; and Cass, Jackson, and Lafayette counties in Missouri. Its service area is a mix of urban, rural, and suburban populations.

Health Forward is igniting a culture of health by tackling pressing health issues for those most in need. Through partnership and advocacy, it is working to transform communities so everyone has an opportunity for better health. It focuses on eliminating barriers to health for the uninsured and underserved.

Program Information: 

Health Forward Foundation focuses its program on three main areas:

  • Healthy Communities: support environments and policies that promote equitable opportunities for healthy eating, active living, and tobacco use prevention.
  • Mental Health: enable people to live healthy and resilient lives.
  • Safety Net: improve access to quality health care and preventive care when our fragmented system leaves gaps.

Financial Information:

Total Assets: $805 million FY19
Amount Dedicated to Health-Related Grants: $22.3 million FY19

Special Initiatives and/or Representative Health and Human Services Grants

Missouri Medicaid Expansion—support the expansion of Medicaid through an August 2020 ballot initiative in Missouri. ($750,000)

COVID Response/Recovery—support the resiliency of the community, grantees, and partners through support to federally qualified health centers and look-a-like centers, contract tracing and testing, and support for essential services for vulnerable populations. ($3.7 million)

Policy and Civic Engagement—support 15 agencies advocating for health care access, housing policy, and grassroots organizing. ($1 million)

Project Access/Metro Care—leverage the Kansas City Medical Society physician membership along with the resources of hospitals and other community health partners, to provide no-cost specialty care to meet the needs of uninsured individuals. ($500,000)

Promise 1,000—implement an innovative, sustainable, collaborative system of evidence-based home visiting services for pregnant women, young children and their families to achieve optimal physical, mental, social, emotional health and educational outcomes. ($400,000)

Most Pressing Issue in the Community We Serve

Grantmaker focus by Qiana Thomason

“As we continue our work, Health Forward Foundation will center racial equity in our core competencies of leadership, advocacy, and resources. Practicing racial equity means that we will work to create the conditions in which one’s racial identity has absolutely no influence on their ability to thrive. This aspiration requires Health Forward to be the change we wish to see by ensuring racial equity becomes our very ethos.”

–Qiana Thomason, President and CEO of Health Forward Foundation

Focus Area(s): Philanthropic Growth and Impact

Related Topic(s): Governance and Operations
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