Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
(Durham, NC)
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) Foundation announced $600,000 in grants to support six community-based collaborations to focus on social determinants to improve health and address inequities that cause health disparities. The grants expand the foundation’s approach to supporting clinical-community collaborations to better understand and act on non-medical drivers of health, with the ultimate goal of increasing health equity and improving health at the population level.
The newly funded community-centered health partnerships are:
- Caswell Chapter of the Health Collaborative—to address the impact of economic instability on chronic diseases including overweight/obesity and heart disease.
- Hunger and Health Coalition—to expand and strengthen efforts to reduce obesity and diet‐related chronic diseases in low‐wealth populations with a focus on food insecurity.
- Montgomery County Partnership for Children—to combat obesity by reducing food inequity and increasing economic stability.
- North Carolina Community Health Center Association—to address inequities driven by occupational hazards, poor housing, language access, lack of transportation, and health care access in the farmworker and poultry processing worker populations.
- Opportunities Industrialization Center—to support residents to implement systems‐focused solutions for marginalized communities to reduce stressors in their physical and social environments that have contributed to a high prevalence of chronic disease and depression.
- West Marion Community Forum—to drive systemic changes to reduce obesity in a rural Appalachian county by working with historically excluded residents in African-American, Latinx, and white communities focusing on food access, physical activity, transportation, and youth engagement.
These three partnerships are achieving the type of outcomes the foundation’s approach is designed to spawn, among them: municipal investments in infrastructure to bolster access to parks and health care, large-scale housing improvements to combat asthma, and a community doula program to reduce inequities in infant mortality.
Specifically, these grants support the foundation’s initial partnership development and planning process. CommonHealth ACTION, the foundation’s technical assistance partner, will coach partnerships during the planning process and provide tailored support to maintain a focus on equity and systemic changes that drive chronic disease and health inequities.
At the conclusion of the initial 15-month planning period, each partnership will be eligible for up to four years of implementation funding from the Blue Cross NC Foundation to put their plans into action.
Contact: Amon Marstiller
Email: amon.marstiller@bcbsncfoundation.org
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
(Providence, RI)
On February 27, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) marked its 80th anniversary with an announcement that underscores the company’s deep-seated Rhode Island roots and its unwavering commitment to the community—the launch of 80 Acts of Kindness—It’s What We Live For.
The community-service inspired campaign encourages BCBSRI employees to expand the company’s roster of volunteer activities and member and community focused initiatives to no fewer than 80 acts of kindness in 2019. The initiative builds on BCBSRI’s well-known employee volunteer efforts, such as Blue across Rhode Island, the annual companywide day of service, and one of the largest such volunteer days in the state.
BCBSRI’s employees embrace a culture of philanthropy and volunteerism. In 2018, 70 percent of BCBSRI’s employees participated in service projects contributing 10,853 service hours and in that same year, $1.3 million was contributed to more than 170 Rhode Island nonprofits.
As one of the 80 Acts of Kindness, BCBSRI has expanded its investment in #RecessRocksinRI by bringing the program to 80 schools in Rhode Island in 2019. Created in collaboration with Playworks New England and the Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition, the program is working to change school culture and improve the health of children by helping educators to leverage the power of safe, fun, and healthy play at school every day. As of this year, 80 schools across 26 districts in the state have participated in the program.
Contact: Jill Flaxington
Phone: 401.459.1714
Email: jill.flaxington@bcbsri.org
CDC Foundation
(Atlanta, GA)
The CDC Foundation has launched Contagious Conversations, a new podcast that features interviews with individuals who are playing a key role in making the world safer and healthier.
The first season features a series of three in-depth interviews with experts who share their unique perspectives on today’s toughest health challenges, including antibiotic resistance, global disease outbreaks, health equality and more. Current Contagious Conversations episodes include:
- Episode 1: Outbreaks and Superbugs: Storytelling on the Frontlines with Journalist Maryn McKenna
- Episode 2: Infrastructure, Inclusivity and the ADA: New Pathways to Problem Solving with Dr. Lex Frieden
- Episode 3: All Lives Have Equal Value: Philanthropy, Optimism and Taking Risks with Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann
Contact: Amy Tolchinsky
Phone: 404.523.3486
Email: atolchinsky@cdcfoundation.org
Con Alma Health Foundation
(Santa Fe, NM)
Con Alma Health Foundation and Northern New Mexico Health Grants Group grant cycles open March 20th and the deadline for all applications is April 24, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Con Alma awards grants annually to nonprofits throughout New Mexico that work toward sustainable solutions to their communities’ health challenges.
Contact: Dennis McCutcheon
Phone: 505.438.0776
Email: dmccutcheon@conalma.org
John A. Hartford Foundation
(New York, NY)
The John A. Hartford Foundation approved four grants totaling nearly $9 million for projects that will lead to improved health for older adults by expanding access to palliative care, helping community-based organizations partner with health systems and plans, spreading age-friendly care through leadership development and a learning network of hospitals, and continuing to reframe society’s views on aging.
- The American Hospital Association, Health Research & Education Trust (HRET): Age-Friendly Health Systems Leaders Group—to improve the care of older adults by developing Age-Friendly Health Systems leaders and hospitals. ($1,957,990 for three years)
- Gerontological Society of America: Sustaining the Reframing Aging Initiative—to support the Reframing Aging initiative, which works to counter the pervasive negative beliefs about aging that are barriers to improving the care of older adults in the United States. ($600,000 for three years)
- The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging: Aging and Disability Business Institute, Phase 2 – Advancing Integration, Partnerships and Payment Models Between Social Services and Health Systems—to support the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and its Aging and Disability Business Institute to address issues related to the business challenges facing community-based organizations, advance solutions that reduce barriers to system integration, explore ways to participate in the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, and seek new revenue. ($2,973,335 for three years)
- University of Washington: Building Public Engagement and Access to Palliative & End-of-Life Care for Persons Living with Serious Illness—to increase the availability of and public demand for high-quality palliative care and advance care planning through the development of public messaging resources and by fostering collaboration and the scaling of innovative programs that improve serious illness and end-of-life care. ($3,447,029 for three years)
Contact: Clare Churchouse
Phone: 212.324.7480
Email: clare.churchouse@johnahartford.org
HealthSpark Foundation
(Colmar, PA)
HealthSpark Foundation recently awarded more than $316,000 to 10 organizations with short-term pilot or proof of concept projects designed to test out ideas to bolster the safety net system in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The Innovation Lab grants are a part of the foundation’s 10-year Safety Net Resiliency Initiative. Grants range from $10,000 to $50,000 and must involve at least one organizational partner, though most projects have several partners.
Contact: Tamela Luce
Phone: 215.716.5400
Email: tluce@healthspark.org
Maine Health Access Foundation
(Augusta, ME)
The Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) awarded $99,992 to four nonprofit dental clinics to strengthen their capacity to provide high quality, affordable dental care for Maine people with lower incomes. The grantees are the Jesse Albert Dental and Orthodontic Center, Community Dental, Kennebec Valley Family Dentistry, and St. Croix Regional Family Center.
Since 2002, MeHAF has invested over $2.5 million in oral health care for equipment, personnel, and start-up costs of oral health clinics to initiatives that examine oral health policy and develop strategies to increase access to dental care. Since 2010, MeHAF has provided funding for 20 safety net dental clinics to work with practice management consultants from Safety Net Solutions, a program affiliated with the DentaQuest Institute.
In addition, MeHAF announced $255,000 in funding for four Rural Health Transformation Grants. The funding will support projects in Franklin, Hancock, Oxford, and Somerset, Maine counties. Grantees include Healthy Community Coalition, Healthy Peninsula, Oxford County Mental Health Services, and Penobscot Community Health Care. The funds will support several programs that promote access to a broad variety of non-traditional health services including social service supports.
As Maine sees the closure of a number of health facilities in rural Maine, supporting not only existing work, but providing funds to support innovative work in these communities remains an important focus for MeHAF. The new 2019 Rural Health Transformation Grants support the continued work of last year’s Rural Health Transformation Catalyst Grantees.
Contact: Holly Irish
Phone: 207.620.8266
Email: hirish@mehaf.org
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
(Owings Mills, MD)
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation announced more than $26 million in new grants. Good health is essential to help people move and remain out of poverty. Poor physical or mental health can prevent or complicate the pursuit of education, employment, and other opportunities for economic mobility. Health-related grants include:
- Archway Station—to support the development of a Health Home program that will provide behavioral health services for people with mental illness. ($175,000 over two years)
- Ashdod Old Age Home Association—to support the renovation of the organization’s facility as part of the Eshkolot initiative, a series of capital projects, in partnership with the National Insurance Institute, dedicated to advancing culture change within skilled nursing facilities serving older adults. ($950,000)
- Camelot for Children—to support the general operations of the organization to provide educational and social opportunities in a supportive, enriching environment for children, ages 6 to 19, with disabilities and chronic or terminal illnesses. ($50,000 over two years)
- Catholic Social Services—to support the development of a comprehensive shelter and residential program in a campus setting that will include an emergency shelter, expanded food pantry, and short-term housing options. ($525,000)
- CHANA (an agency of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore)—to support SAFE (Stop Abuse of Elders), a program that provides counseling, community outreach, and education in response to elder abuse. ($250,000 over two years)
- Channel Marker—to support the construction of a new regional wellness center with the goal of expanding capacity for onsite treatment and clinical therapy services. ($500,000)
- Coppin Heights Community Development Corporation—to support the renovation of a building into a health care hub and to support the Stabilization Center, a new model for connecting people to health care that leads to longer-term stabilization and recovery. ($750,000)
- Enterprise Community Partners—to support this organization’s programs that provide older adult residents with affordable housing opportunities so that they may remain independent and maintain a high quality of life. ($750,000 program grant over two years)
- Esperanza Health Center—to support the construction of the new Federally Qualified Health Center that will provide primary care, behavioral health, psychiatry, pharmacy, and domestic violence and sexual assault services and programs. ($200,000)
- Grand Traverse Pavilions Foundation—to support the renovation of its PACE (Program for All Inclusive Care of the Elderly) Center and buy furniture, fixtures, and equipment. ($1,000,000)
- Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit—to support the development of JHELP, a new community-wide service portal that will enhance the coordination of information, referrals, and service delivery for older adults. ($150,000)
- Jewish Social Service Agency—to support the renovation of its Montrose Road facility with the goal of expanding service delivery to additional older adults and allowing them to remain independent. ($1,500,000)
- Mission of Mercy—to support the purchase of equipment for a mobile dental clinic with the goal of increasing its annual dental visits. ($115,000)
- Neve Eshkol—to support the renovation of a day care center for older adults coping with dementia and cognitive decline. ($400,000 over two years)
- On Lok—to support the renovation of a building to create the Montgomery Dementia Center, part of this organization’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which allows nursing-home eligible older adults to remain in their homes and communities. ($500,000)
- People Encouraging People—to support the renovation of its recovery center that includes rehabilitation as well as educational and employment services and to support construction of nine units of permanent supportive housing for people with complex health and social needs. ($1,500,000)
- Sanctuary for Military Families (Project Sanctuary)—to expand into Maryland this organization that takes military families “from battle-ready to family-ready” by providing outdoor therapeutic retreats in a healing environment, as well as ongoing family support services for two years following the retreat. ($75,000)
- SEEC Corporation—to support the general operations of this organization that provides employment, educational, and residential support services. ($200,000 over two years)
- Selfhelp Community Services—to support comprehensive case management services for Holocaust survivors from the former Soviet Union living in New York City. ($300,000 over two years)
- United Neighborhood Community Development Corporation—to support the construction of an affordable housing development that will provide intergenerational activities for older adult residents and community members. ($900,000)
- Western Maryland Area Health Education Center—to support its dental access program and Exploring Careers in Health Occupations program that provides hands-on experience with health care careers to address a chronic shortage of health care professionals. ($100,000 over two years)
Phone: 410.654.8500