Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (Boston, MA)

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation announced $360,000 in new grant funding to support 12 organizations working to improve perinatal health across the Commonwealth, including supporting access to doula care for pregnant people in communities of color. The Perinatal Health Initiative grant program is part of its broader strategy of grantmaking and policy analysis aimed at better understanding and disrupting structural racism and eliminating racial inequities in health.

The foundation’s grantmaking team met with over 30 community organizations and leaders working in perinatal health to inform the design of the Perinatal Health Initiative. Several grant partners are focused on the doula workforce, which is comprised of trained, non-medical professionals who support people during and after pregnancy. MassHealth recently began covering their services to improve maternal health and reduce health disparities affecting communities of color.

The foundation approved one-year grants, ranging from $20,000 to $50,000, to each of the following nonprofit organizations and their projects:

  • Berkshire Nursing Families—to support the next phase of its partnership with Springfield Family Doulas to train and mentor Black doulas and lactation counselors in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.
  • Birth Equity & Justice Massachusetts—to continue to bring the birth equity community together and be a voice on perinatal policy and advocacy, including efforts to support recent migrants in Massachusetts.
  • Family Health Center of Worcester—to support its ‘OB Advocate’ program that provides an advocate, who is trained as a doula, to a patient from pregnancy to two years following birth.
  • Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts—to support newly arrived Haitian migrant families with babies and young children living in emergency shelters in Boston, Massachusetts connecting them to vital resources such as well-child visits, diapers, playgroups, and developmental screenings.
  • First Teacher Boston—to provide perinatal health education to Black and Brown families in Dorchester and Roxbury, Massachusetts with a series of small-group workshops and a prenatal/postpartum resource toolkit.
  • Mass Law Reform Institute and the Massachusetts Doula Coalition—to deepen its capacity for ongoing policy and advocacy efforts as the statewide doula provider community navigates the new MassHealth coverage benefit.
  • Massachusetts PPD Fund—to expand its perinatal mental health training series and raise awareness about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, a pregnancy complication affecting one in five new mothers.
  • Neighborhood Birth Center—to expand its policy capacity by having staff represent the broader birth center and provider community in Greater Boston, Massachusetts including doulas, midwives, and nurse midwives.
  • Perinatal Wellness Support Center of the Cape & Islands—to provide its six-week training offered in English, Spanish, and Portuguese that covers childbirth education, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, breastfeeding, nutrition, and other prenatal and postpartum health issues.
  • Propa City Community Outreach—to provide its services focused on perinatal health education and peer support to Boston, Massachusetts’ communities of color who are dealing with pregnancy loss.
  • Sacred Birthing Village—to expand its multilingual perinatal education program in Greater New Bedford, Massachusetts provided by community volunteers to individuals through their pregnancy and one year following birth.
  • Tufts University’s Center for Black Maternal Health & Reproductive Justice—to create a digital toolkit to assist doulas with the MassHealth enrollment process and improve access to doula services for Black and Brown pregnant people.

The foundation has also been collaborating with other foundations working in perinatal health, and this group of funders has agreed to host a statewide convening focused on birth equity in the future.

Contact: 617.246.6783

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts (Worcester, MA)

The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts awarded eight grants totaling $890,455 through its Activation Fund program to support a wide range of organizations serving the region. The Activation Fund supports organizations in building capacity in sustainable ways as they work to address community-identified health issues. More than 85 percent of the 2024 Activation Fund grantees had not previously received funding from The Health Foundation.

The grant awards are as follows:

  • African Community Education—to renovate and better equip the kitchen at its Worcester, Massachusetts facility, expanding its capacity to serve culturally appropriate meals for youth, offer nutrition classes, and provide space for newly arriving Haitian families to prepare meals. ($125,000)
  • Center of Hope Foundation—to modernize bathrooms and plumbing systems in a Southbridge facility housing its day habilitation program, which serves nearly 120 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ($125,000)
  • Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin—to help establish an outpatient clinic in Orange, Massachusetts thereby expanding its capacity to provide specialized mental health services for child victims of sexual abuse and their families in the region. ($86,900)
  • Choices Inc.—to purchase a 15-passenger van, equipment, and supplies for its Early Diversion Worcester program, a comprehensive system of care that diverts, intervenes, and disrupts the school-to-prison pipeline in collaboration with community partners. ($80,250)
  • Gardner Community Action Committee—to renovate and relocate to a 5,800-square-foot facility made available rent-free by the City of Gardner, enhancing its capacity for food distribution, emergency assistance, and other services for those in need in the community. ($115,000)
  • Growing Places—to develop a customized IT solution integrating disparate platforms and new software for inventory management to enhance efficiency, expand service capacity, and better support local food consumers, institutional buyers, and small farmers in North Central Massachusetts. ($109,041)
  • Quinsigamond Community College—to replace six outdated dental chairs and equipment stations at its Worcester, Massachusetts-based dental clinic, which trains an average of 40 dental hygiene students and 20 dental assistant students annually and provides free or deeply discounted oral health care to vulnerable populations. ($124,254)
  • Worcester RISE for Health—to build out and equip clinical space and implement an electronic medical record system for it to provide maternal child health care services for newly arriving refugees and immigrants in Worcester, Massachusetts. ($125,000)

Contact: Jennie Blake at jblake@thfcm.org.

The Heinz Endowments (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

The Heinz Endowments announced $9.3 million in grants to 35 organizations whose work focuses on confronting climate change, reducing adverse environment-related health effects, and improving equitable access to healthy food in the southwest Pennsylvania region. The grants advance nearly 30 years of environment and health advocacy by the Endowments and are informed by recent research supported by the foundation that identifies areas of critical need in the region’s climate, air, and water quality, and food security sectors.

The grants include funding for a swath of community-based, statewide, and national climate, environment, and health-focused organizations. Three of the organizations – Women for a Healthy Environment, PennFuture, and Riverlife – were founded with support from the Endowments, with PennFuture and Riverlife celebrating significant anniversaries in the coming year.

All of the 35 organizations slated to receive funding as part of the $9.3 million in grantmaking are:

  • 412 Justice—to support communities disproportionately impacted by environmental threats. ($150,000)
  • Allegheny Land Trust—to support a climate-focused region by working to transform vacant, blighted property into productive urban green space. ($238,000)
  • The Alliance for Climate Protection—to support a sustainable, clean-energy economic transition across the Ohio River Valley. ($175,000)
  • Capital & Main—to fund environmental climate reporting in the region. ($40,000)
  • Capital Good Fund—to initiate a pilot solar leasing program in southwestern Pennsylvania that focuses on low-to-moderate income households. ($500,000)
  • Carnegie Mellon University—to analyze regional air pollution impacts. ($93,000)
  • Center for Coalfield Justice—to protect the region from the effects of fossil fuel use and development. ($400,000)
  • Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future—to advance sustainability, protect the environment, and foster community health for all Pennsylvanians. ($400,000)
  • Community Foundation for the Alleghenies—to advance sustainability in the region through protection of the environment, health, and climate ($750,000); to advance cancer prevention in the region ($250,000); to advance clean and healthy homes and schools ($125,000); to prevent asthma and protect overall community health in the region. ($350,000)
  • Environmental Integrity Project—to improve air quality in western Pennsylvania. ($250,000)
  • Farm to Table Buy Local—to support fresh, healthy local food in the Pittsburgh region. ($240,000)
  • Food & Water Watch—to strengthen protections against adverse health and environmental effects from shale development. ($220,000)
  • Grow Pittsburgh—to advance access to fresh produce in food-insecure neighborhoods and to provide tools and resources for residents to grow their own fruits and vegetables. ($75,000)
  • Hazelwood Initiative—for operating expenses to further development and preservation of Hazelwood’s physical features and to advance environmental justice. ($400,000)
  • Hilltop Urban Farm—to implement its strategic plan and support programming. ($80,000)
  • Homewood Children’s Village—to advance environmental and health education and mitigation work. ($45,000)
  • Inside Climate News—to support environmental and climate reporting in the region. ($50,000)
  • Main ST—to support clean energy transition through development of a Department of Energy-required Community Benefits Plan for expansion of Eos Energy Enterprises. ($182,000)
  • Mwanakuche Farm—to support culturally appropriate food and employment in the Pittsburgh Somali Bantu community. ($125,000)
  • National Young Farmers Coalition—to support land access for new farmers in Northern Appalachia and to advocate for meaningful state and federal-level policy change. ($185,000)
  • Operation Better Block—to advance the organization’s green initiatives in the Homewood community. ($45,000)
  • PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center—to advocate for clean air in the region. ($430,000)
  • Pittsburgh Conservation Corps—to provide opportunities for meaningful employment and strong futures in environmental fields for people facing significant socioeconomic disparities. ($200,000)
  • Pittsburgh United—to expand capacity for its work, including securing resources to decarbonize public buildings. ($450,000)
  • Protect Elizabeth Township—to support communities impacted by shale development. ($70,000)
  • Riverlife—to advance “Completing the Loop,” a 15-mile, 1,050-acre interconnected group of riverfront parks, trails and public land. ($220,000)
  • Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors—to support the Plastic Solutions Fund, which works to advance non-toxic plastics that are reused, repaired, or recycled. ($100,000)
  • Sierra Club Foundation—to protect the Pittsburgh region from the effects of fossil fuel development and use. ($50,000)
  • Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project—to inform policy and decision-making regarding health impacts of regional oil and gas development. ($725,000)
  • Stichting Funder Forum—to fund efforts to address global climate change. ($250,000)
  • Student-Led Sustainable Initiatives—to support students and youth in addressing climate change. ($25,000)
  • University Of Massachusetts Foundation—to support work to protect children’s environmental health. ($59,750)
  • University of Pittsburgh—to support the Pittsburgh Water Collaborative’s efforts in water research, governance, and action. ($300,000)
  • Wilkinsburg Community Ministry—to address food insecurity in Wilkinsburg, Edgewood, Swissvale, Braddock, east Homewood, East Hills, and the east end of Pittsburgh. ($125,000)
  • Women For a Healthy Environment—to support the 1,000 Hours Project ($350,000); to educate communities about environmental risks to human health with an emphasis on children’s health ($500,000); to support lead prevention work ($100,000).

To learn more, click here.

Horizon Foundation (Columbia, Maryland)

Officials from Maryland’s Howard County Public School System (HCPSS), the Healthier Choices Coalition, and the Horizon Foundation announced new planned initiatives to improve school meals at all Howard County public schools beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

The Healthier Choices Coalition, a group of Howard County residents and organizations working to create policy change that will make healthier food and drink more accessible and affordable, worked with HCPSS over the last year to gather students’ and parents’ feedback about school meals and design solutions to make improvements.

The Coalition took these survey results to HCPSS, which pledged to:

  • Implement a Farm-to-School Table pilot program to incorporate locally or regionally produced foods into school cafeterias. Working with other HCPSS academic programs (e.g., health education, culinary, etc.), provide promotional activities and experiential learning to support nutritional education.
  • Conduct at least two regional, dinner-time taste tests for parents and students to try and rate existing and new potential menu items.
  • Conduct town hall meetings with student groups including the Howard County Association of Student Councils and parent groups including the PTA Council of Howard County to obtain feedback and suggestions on how to improve the quality, taste, and appearance of food served by the Food and Nutrition Service.
  • Utilize LINQ Connect, the food and nutrition portal, to secure timely feedback on school food from parents and students throughout the school year, including disseminating school food feedback survey results and actions taken by the Food and Nutrition Service in response.
  • Hold regional roundtable discussions to receive parent/student feedback on the cultural appropriateness of food being served by the Food and Nutrition Service.
  • Implement a shared-table pilot program in selected schools to investigate whether doing so will reduce food waste.

To learn more, click here.

Nord Family Foundation (Amherst, Ohio)

The Nord Family Foundation Board of Trustees recently approved $3,274,009 in grants to nonprofit organizations working in arts and culture, civic affairs, education, and health and social services in Lorain County, Ohio; Cuyahoga County, Ohio; Columbia, South Carolina; Metro Denver, Colorado; Boston, Massachusetts; Penn Yan, New York; and other areas of interest.

Health and Social Services grants totaling $1,176,500 approved at the June 2024 board meeting are:

  • City Fresh—to continue support of Fresh Stops Program for low-income Lorain County residents. ($25,000)
  • Clearview Local Schools—to continue wellness support and programming. ($50,000)
  • Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center—to continue support for serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Lorain County. ($35,000)
  • Columbia Free Medical Clinic, Inc.—to continue general operating support. ($20,000)
  • Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion, Inc.—to continue general operating support. ($50,000)
  • Journey Center for Safety and Healing—to continue general operating support. ($30,000)
  • Lorain County Office on Aging, Inc.—to continue general operating support, over two years. ($140,000)
  • Lorain County Public Health—to continue support of the Prescription Assistance Program. ($56,500)
  • Lorain Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program, Inc.—to continue general operating support, over two years. ($100,000)
  • Milly’s Pantry, Inc.—to continue support of the School Supplies Program. ($15,000)
  • Palmetto Place Children and Youth Services—to continue support of the Unaccompanied Youth and Transitional Living Program. ($50,000)
  • Providence House, Inc.—to continue general operating support in Lorain County. ($45,000)
  • Providence Network—to continue general operating support. ($25,000)
  • Salvation Army – Northeast Ohio Division—to continue general operation support in Lorain County. ($90,000)
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio—to continue support of increasing food resources to Lorain County. ($175,000)
  • Step Denver—to continue support of Steps for Success – Peer Recovery Program. ($30,000)
  • The Road to Hope Inc.—to continue general operating support, over two years. ($160,000)
  • YWCA Greater Cleveland—to continue general operating support. ($40,000)
  • YWCA of Elyria—to continue general operating support. ($40,000)

To access the full list of grantees, click here.

Point32Health Foundation (Canton, MA)

Point32Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Point32Health and its family of companies, including Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Tufts Health Plan, and Care Partners of Connecticut, announced 31 grants totaling nearly $3 million to nonprofit organizations in the region that support equity in aging. The new funding supports collaborations, initiatives, and advocacy efforts focused on changing inequitable systems.

The new grants go to:

  • Advocates Building Lasting Equality in NH (ABLE NH)—to promote self-advocacy through full participation of adults with disabilities in improving systems of support; advocating for education, employment, health care, and civic engagement rights; connecting families; and influencing public policy. ($75,000)
  • Centro Latino de New Hampshire—to build a self-sufficient, healthy, and civically engaged Latine community in New Hampshire through community-centered services, education, culture, and arts programming. ($60,000)
  • CitySeed—to create an equitable local food system that promotes economic growth, community development, and sustainable agriculture. ($20,000)
  • Crossroads Rhode Island—to ensure timely, stable housing placements and provide supportive services, including case management, education, and employment services. ($50,000)
  • Cumberland County Food Security Council—to expand Halal School Meals Network model to make culturally affirming food available in Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook public schools. ($45,000)
  • Digger Foods—to increase access to affordable, locally grown produce, and support operations of mobile farmer’s markets in Brockton, Massachusetts. ($40,000)
  • Food Bank of Western Massachusetts—to support general operations, to include advocacy, staff salaries, food assistance navigation, and purchase and distribution of culturally sensitive food. ($50,000)
  • Friends of the Veterans’ Memorial Library—to engage older adults and strengthen regional partnerships and collaborations to shape a new regional library and community center in rural Piscataquis County, Maine. ($25,000)
  • Greater Boston Food Bank—to support emergency food response efforts across Eastern Massachusetts. ($50,000)
  • Groundwork Bridgeport—to support community leadership to improve environmental and social conditions through greening the urban landscape; creating community gardens; leading public education on environmental stewardship; and supporting civic engagement. ($45,000)
  • Healthy Peninsula—to enhance and coordinate Bridging Neighbors initiative, using volunteers to provide orientation, navigation, advocacy, and social connection to older adults for improved access to and awareness of resources that support well-being. ($100,000 over three years)
  • Legal Services for the Elderly—in collaboration with the elder services network, to advocate for public policies in support of older adults who experience systemic barriers. ($90,000 over three years)
  • LifePath—to implement Age- and Dementia-Friendly initiatives across 30 towns, in partnership with Franklin Regional Council of Governments and resident-led working groups. ($190,000 over three years)
  • Livable Streets Transportation Alliance of Boston, Inc.—to organize coalition partners and community members, including older people and people with disabilities, to advocate for a fare-free bus program and bus lane enforcement to improve transit safety and equity. ($50,000)
  • Maine Women’s Lobby Education Fund—to implement Maine’s Paid Family and Medical Leave policy, strengthen partnerships, and advance advocacy around care work and care infrastructure and to increase community engagement, public education, and strategic communication through the leadership of Maine Paid Leave Coalition. ($150,000 over three years)
  • Massachusetts Association for Mental Health—to increase capacity of Older Adult Behavioral Health Network to advance policy and advocacy, strengthen workforce development initiatives, and implement Certified Older Adult Peer Specialist services through Aging Services Access Points across the Commonwealth. ($150,000 over two years)
  • Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired—to collaborate with regional coalitions, digital equity networks, and leaders of age- and dementia-friendly initiatives in Boston, Framingham, New Bedford, Springfield, and Worcester, Massachusetts to promote and implement best practices within housing and health sectors for engaging older adults with blindness or low vision. ($300,000 over three years)
  • Mill City Grows—to create a more equitable regional food system through community-led advocacy to improve access to culturally connected foods; push food distributors and access sites to accept food benefits; and provide matching resources through the Healthy Incentives Program. ($90,000 over three years)
  • Meals on Wheels Hillsborough County—to pilot and scale Dine Out Club, a restaurant dining initiative to address hunger and social isolation among older adults in New Hampshire. ($90,000 over two years)
  • NAMI Connecticut—to improve the lives of people in Connecticut affected by mental illness by changing public attitudes; reducing stigma; and offering support, education, and advocacy programs at the state and local level with a special focus on urban areas. ($100,000)
  • New Hampshire Democracy Fund—to protect voting rights and fair elections, increase civic participation, and build local leadership capacity in New Hampshire. ($45,000)
  • New Hampshire Food Bank—to create intervention and navigation tools to screen for food insecurity and connect health care patients with local emergency food resources, fresh produce, and federal and state benefits. ($50,000)
  • Partnership for Public Health—to strengthen WellnessLink, a statewide and centralized public health hub. ($90,000 over two years)
  • Pinnacle Partnerships—to expand training and support for Psychological Enhanced Response Liaisons, coaches with lived experience who help families and caregivers navigate complex mental health issues and access systems of support. ($50,000)
  • Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts—for collaboration to assess and implement strategies for intergenerational social connection and improved mental health. ($400,000 over three years)
  • Rhode Island Community Food Bank—for emergency food response and food justice efforts across the state. ($50,000)
  • Rhode Island Food Policy Council—to increase nutrition security by growing and strengthening the council network; advocating for increased access to affordable, healthy, culturally relevant food; and supporting a sustainable and climate-resilient food system. ($200,000 over three years)
  • Roots Rising—to invest in youth leadership to build community, to increase food justice initiatives, and to make local produce available to all. ($40,000)
  • Southside Community Land Trust—to create a more equitable and sustainable local food economy through community-led programming, mentorship, and technical assistance to small farm businesses. ($60,000 over two years)
  • Urban Farming Institute—to develop a healthy local food system with Boston, Massachusett’s communities of color by increasing access to affordable, fresh food; farming and cooking education; and opportunities for older adults to find connection and belonging. ($120,000 over three years)
  • Worcester County Food Bank—to support general operations, including staff salaries, volunteer management, emergency food purchase, and distribution. ($50,000)

Contact: Alex Johnson 818.702.1902 or ajohnson@calwellness.org.

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (Williamsburg, VA)

The Williamsburg Health Foundation (WHF) approved grant funding in June totaling $3.9 million to 21 organizations that address some of Greater Williamsburg’s most pressing health-related needs. These grants represent WHF’s continued dedication to enhancing the health and well-being of those who live, work, and play in the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and York County.

Among the exciting grants awarded is a new partnership with the Virginia Health Care Foundation’s Boost 200 initiative. Boost 200 is a pilot program that addresses the mental health professional shortage in Virginia by paying for supervision hours required of mental health professionals for licensure. With WHF’s $50,000 grant to the Boost 200 program, the licensure of two behavioral health counselors and one licensed social worker in Williamsburg and James City County, Virginia will be accelerated.

In addition to the mental health workforce shortage, another issue that came to the forefront during this grant cycle is the ongoing need for increased access to healthy foods throughout our community. According to the most recent data from Feeding America, food insecurity in 2022 was between nine and 12 percent for the localities in its service area. WHF supports new grants to the Boys & Girls Club in James City County, Grove Christian Outreach Center, W-JCC Community Action Agency, and the Williamsburg House of Mercy.

In line with WHF’s mission and strategic focus, WHF awarded additional grants in the foundation’s five funding areas: behavioral health services, healthy aging, healthy eating, active living, integrated care, and two-generation family services.

WHF’s next grant cycle is now open. For a complete list of awarded grants, click here.

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