Mary Black Foundation (Spartanburg, SC)

The Mary Black Foundation, along with the other Spartanburg Joint Funders, have partnered with the United Way of the Piedmont and their United for All Disaster Response effort. The foundation has made a $25,000 contribution to this collective effort to support those in need during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Contact: creynolds@maryblackfoundation.org.

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

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation announced over $1 million in grants to a total of 19 organizations. The funding will support health coverage enrollment efforts, perinatal health-related projects, a comprehensive health insurance survey, and other special initiatives.

The Board of Directors recently approved funding for the Special Initiatives program, which is for organizations to pilot or launch a new project that advances health equity. The foundation is providing a total of $300,000 in one-time grants to the following six nonprofit organizations that are working to improve health care access across Massachusetts:

  • Burlington Public Schools—for a collaborative team-based approach to mental health care that will complement existing school services, increase support for students and families, and incorporate culturally competent practices.
  • Fishing Partnership Health Plan Corporation—to enhance the availability of behavioral health support in the fishing communities of Gloucester, New Bedford, Plymouth, and Chatham that face higher-than-average rates of suicide and substance use disorder.
  • Mandela Yoga Project—to help pilot a trauma-responsive yoga program to test the impact of this peer-led mind body intervention on disparities among patients with diabetes and hypertension at both the Uphams Corner Health Center in Dorchester and the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center.
  • The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health—to implement its Early Psychosis Outreach Initiative in primary care physician and community health center settings to improve care for youth and young adults, particularly those experiencing inequities and discrimination due to race, income, or other factors.
  • Transformational Prison Project—to develop a project that will provide trauma-informed behavioral health services for youthful offenders, or those incarcerated before age 21 and released as adults, returning to their communities.
  • William James College—to help this psychology school launch a Behavioral Health Service Corps for Men of Color to diversify the field and develop a sustainable workforce that can address mental health and substance use disparities among historically underserved communities in Massachusetts.

The foundation’s board also recently approved funding of $612,000 for the second year of its two-year grant program Supporting Health Coverage Enrollment Efforts, a statewide initiative to help eligible individuals secure and maintain MassHealth (Medicaid) or other insurance coverage. The funding has supported the expansion of Certified Application Counselor (CAC) capacity in the Commonwealth. CACs are trained individuals who help consumers search for and secure health coverage options, including assistance with completion of eligibility and enrollment forms.

The following organizations received grants:

  • Agencia ALPHA—an immigrant-led, grassroots organization in Boston focused on community organizing and services for immigrants.
  • Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell—a nonprofit serving the Cambodian and other minority communities in the Lowell area.
  • Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands—a nonprofit that provides a variety of services to low-income residents.
  • Developmental Evaluation and Adjustment Facilities (DEAF Inc.)—a Watertown-based nonprofit that supports the underserved deaf community.
  • Ecu-Health Care—a nonprofit based in North Adams that provides access to affordable health care and coverage to the uninsured and underinsured.
  • Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH)—a nonprofit organization committed to mitigating health disparities and facilitating wellness for Asian communities in Greater Boston.
  • Hilltown Community Health Centers—a federally qualified health center serving individuals and families at four sites and a community center in Western Massachusetts.
  • Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health—a program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester helping families navigate health insurance.
  • Massachusetts Senior Action Council—a statewide grassroots organization, based in Quincy and led by seniors committed to social justice.
  • True Alliance Center—a faith-based charitable organization that seeks to promote advocacy and health education in the Haitian community in Greater Boston.

The foundation also invested $130,000 in a policy grant that will support the development and implementation of the 2025 Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey by the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA). CHIA is an independent state agency that serves as a steward of critical health data and promotes a more transparent and equitable health care system. The support for CHIA to implement this survey on health insurance coverage and access to health care services comes at a critical time; policies enacted to protect coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency are no longer in effect, and the data collected through this survey will provide the very first look at the updated insurance coverage landscape in Massachusetts.

The foundation also expanded funding for its Perinatal Health Initiative, which was developed in 2024 in response to disparities in pregnancy-associated mortality and severe maternal morbidity. Earlier this year, support was provided for 12 organizations across the state, and grants have now been approved for two additional organizations, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and Greater Lowell Health Alliance.

Contact: maia.brodyfield@bcbsma.com.

The Duke Endowment (Charlotte, NC)

The Duke Endowment provided a $15 million commitment to meet immediate relief needs and provide critical support for those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Initial grants totaling $7.5 million went to support two funds established to work with trusted organizations across the Carolinas. Five million went to the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Emergency and Disaster Response Fund, which serves 18 western North Carolina counties through local nonprofits. Another $2.5 million went to the Central Carolina Community Foundation’s One SC Fund, which works with nonprofit organizations to provide food, housing, and other relief in South Carolina. Since then, the endowment has appropriated support to additional organizations including the American Red Cross, Feeding the Carolinas, the United Way of Greenville in South Carolina, the Spartanburg Community Foundation, and the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Helene Fund.

Contact: info@dukeendowment.org.

Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts (Worcester, MA)

The Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts (SEACMA), with the support of an Activation Fund grant from The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, has successfully launched an urban mushroom-growing facility inside the historic Printers Building in downtown Worcester. This project is designed to address food insecurity in the community while fostering a sustainable, nutrient-rich food source through locally grown mushrooms.

The mushrooms, which include varieties such as shiitake and oyster mushrooms commonly used in Asian cuisine, are currently being distributed and sold locally, with SEACMA donating a majority of its harvest to families, local shelters, temples, and senior centers. The organization is selling the remaining mushrooms at farmers markets and reinvesting the profits back into the organization to expand its capacity and build a self-sustaining social enterprise.

SEACMA is also currently exploring opportunities to partner with local restaurants and grocery stores to sell its produce. SEACMA’s three-person mushroom-growing team started producing their first batches a couple months ago and is already yielding hundreds of pounds a week of predominantly oyster mushrooms. The organization will be making SEACMA’s mushrooms available to anyone who appreciates locally grown food and will be providing fun group educational opportunities for anyone interested in learning more about mushrooms.

The Health Foundation awarded SEACMA a $120,000 Activation Fund grant in 2023 to purchase and install the equipment for the indoor mushroom farm. These grants are designed to support innovative, short-term projects that improve health in Central Massachusetts, and often address social determinants of health within the region. The funding empowers organizations to test new ideas and develop sustainable solutions to community health challenges.

Contact: jblake@thfcm.org.

Healthy Communities Foundation (Riverside, IL)

Healthy Communities Foundation (HCF) made a $6.98 million investment in unrestricted grants to 78 nonprofit organizations serving Chicago, Illinois’s South and West sides and the western suburbs of Cook County. These organizations are leading efforts to address health needs for local communities while advancing systemic solutions to reduce significant health inequities across the foundation’s service area.

In 2024, the foundation increased its general operating support funding by 12 percent compared to 2023, allocating $5.15 million (75 percent) to organizations addressing the social and structural determinants of health in areas facing the most significant health inequities, particularly among predominately Black, Indigenous, Latinx/e, and People of Color communities. This demonstrates the foundation’s ongoing commitment to health equity and investment in immediate and long-term community-led solutions that foster opportunities for all community members to lead healthy lives.

A total of $2,525,000 in one-year grants was awarded to 46 local organizations, including seven first-time grantee partners. The average grant award was $54,891. A total of $4,450,000 in first-year grants awarded to 32 local organizations—the foundation’s second multi-year partner cohort—as part of a five-year renewable grant commitment. This cohort is expected to receive up to $22.3 million in total grants over the 2024-2029 funding period.

This year, HCF has deepened its commitment to strengthening the local health ecosystem by supporting sustainable community-led work that promotes health and racial equity. As a core component of the foundation’s grantmaking strategy, unrestricted funding allows recipient organizations to direct resources where they are most needed, giving them flexibility to adapt and respond to evolving challenges.

The foundation’s one-year unrestricted grants, totaling $2,525,000, support organizations implementing innovative health equity strategies and community-led health initiatives. This funding also enhances its understanding of the local health landscape, which informs its grantmaking strategies.

One-Year Grants by HCF Grantmaking Priority:

  • “Access to Quality Healthcare”—$505,000 invested in nine organizations working to eliminate barriers to health care access and emphasizing community leadership. Partners include CommunityHealth, Lawndale Christian Health Center, and New Moms.
  • “Addressing Social Determinants of Health”—$1,085,000 invested in 21 organizations addressing social and structural determinants of health through a racial equity lens and in innovative ways. Partners include A House in Austin, Chicago Community and Workers’ Rights, and Real Foods Collective.
  • “Advocate for Health Policies and Systems Change”—$330,000 invested in six organizations engaged in policy advocacy and upstream solutions to address health inequities. Partners include Arise Chicago, Equiticity, and Illinois Partners for Human Service.
  • “Augment Local Health Knowledge”—$605,000 invested in 10 organizations focused on community-led research, narrative change, and hyper-local public health data collection. Partners include Borderless Magazine, Healing to Action, and Ujimaa Medics.

The foundation awarded $4,450,000 to 32 organizations for the first year of a five-year grant commitment. This represents a 60 percent increase in the number of funded organizations compared to the first cohort (2021-2023). Based on insights from the previous cohort, the foundation also extended its multi-year funding commitment from three to five years to reinforce its systems change strategy, which focuses on sustained and flexible funding to enhance organizational resilience and adaptability and to catalyze movement for health equity.

2024 Multi-Year Grant Highlights:

  • Cohort partners include Arab American Family Services, Austin Coming Together, and Equal Hope, as well as former one-year HCF grantees, such as Corazon Community Services, EverThrive Illinois, and Taskforce Prevention and Community Services.
  • 78 percent of multi-year partners serve HCF communities that have historically experienced significant health inequities.
  • 54 percent have actively addressed the needs of recent migrant arrivals and have used unrestricted funding to stay responsive to evolving community needs.

To see a complete list of HCF’s 2024 grantee partners, click here. To see a complete list of its HCF’s second multi-year cohort partners, click here.

Contact: Jackie Rodriguez at jrodriguez@hcfdn.org or 708.443.4518.

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 nine nonprofit organizations will receive $45,000 in grants to address inequities, foster diverse leadership, support veterans, and eliminate disparities. Leaders of Point32Health’s nine Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs) worked with the foundation to identify and recommend community nonprofits aligned with the CRGs’ affinities; each received a $5,000 grant.

The one-year grants go to:

  • Association of Latino Professionals for America—for equipping future Latino leaders with tools to excel, fostering leadership, communication, and decisionmaking skills to drive positive change and promote diversity in leadership roles.
  • Community Healing Project with Mutual Aid Eastie—for improving mental health for people living in underserved communities.
  • Empowering People for Inclusive Communities (EPIC)—for providing youth living with disabilities with the skills needed to gain employment, higher education, and independent living.
  • Gay for Good Boston—for addressing issues such as food security and mental health for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
  • Girls’ LEAP—for fostering resilience, safety, and leadership opportunities for youth of color.
  • May Institute—for supporting employment readiness, training, coaching, and advancement opportunities to the autism community.
  • New Hampshire Women’s Foundation—for advocating for policies and laws that impact women and girls.
  • Vouchers For Veterans—for assisting veteran families experiencing food insecurity.
  • Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts—for increasing social connection, enrichment, and cultural preservation among older adults.

Contact: Allie Richards at 781.612.6830.

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