Highmark Foundation Creating a Healthy School Environment Grants are Now Open! (PA and WV)
The Highmark Foundation is currently offering Creating a Healthy School Environment grants to schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Applicants may be public or private schools located within the Highmark service area, which includes 49 Pennsylvania Counties and all 55 West Virginia Counties.*
Applicants must select 1 of the 4 priority areas on which to focus their projects: (1) Bullying Prevention, (2) Child Injury Prevention, (3) Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, and (4) Physical and Environmental Health. Projects must be based on and inclusive of evidence-based programs. The RFP provides a list of suggested evidence-based programs and resources for each priority area, as well as checklists to support baseline and progress data collection and project evaluation. The specifically suggested evidenced-based programs and resources are not required for the Child Injury Prevention, Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, and Physical and Environmental Health priority areas–other evidenced-based options may be proposed. Applicants applying for funds through Bullying Prevention, however, MUST select from the list of programs and resources provided.
Eligible applicants and allowable award sizes for 2015 are described in the RFP as follows:
PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOLS
1. PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS (Individual school buildings are not eligible to apply.)
a. Grants up to $10,000 will be awarded to 15 school districts implementing programs that improve access to quality school-based health and wellness programs. We are interested in public schools applying as districts for implementing programs.
b. If awarded, school districts should identify and select schools within their district to receive funding.
2. PRIVATE, CHARTER, VOCATIONAL AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS (Grades K-12)
c. Mini-grants up to $5,000 will be awarded to 20 non-public school buildings.
d. Private, parochial and charter schools may only apply for the $5,000 mini-grants.
WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOLS 1. PUBLIC, PRIVATE, CHARTER VOCATIONAL AND PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS (Grades K-12)
a. $5,000 mini-grants will be awarded to 15 schools.
b. West Virginia schools may only apply for the $5,000 mini-grants.
Potential applicants should note the funder indicates, “Grants will not be awarded exclusively for equipment such as treadmills, bikes, etc. Equipment will only be considered if necessary for the implementation of an evidence-based physical activity program such as SPARK.”
All applicants must apply online by the May 8, 2015.
*Highmark service area:
Western Pennsylvania Counties served: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Erie, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Somerset, Venango, Warren, Westmoreland and Washington
Central Pennsylvania Counties served: Adams, Berks, Centre, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Mifflin, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Union and York
West Virginia: All counties in West Virginia are eligible to apply.
Good Luck! :o)
During One of the Busiest Grant Seasons of the Year, Regional Opportunities are Plentiful
We’ve entered one of the busiest grants seasons of the year and there are many regional grant competitions currently open. Our list of featured grants on the blog is by no means all inclusive, but we try to show some great programs as well as major grant competitions. Here are a few more regional programs worth considering:
Health and Human Services Grant (Saint Luke’s Foundation)
Region: Cleveland, Ohio
Deadline: April 1st 2015
Award Amounts: Amounts Vary
The Saint Luke’s Foundation accepts applications focused on health and well-being in their target areas of “Healthy People”, “Strong Communities” and “Resilient Families”. Saint Luke’s provides support through discretionary, operating support, program support, capital support, capacity building and program-related investments.
DC Physical Activity for Youth Grant (Office of the State Superintendent of Education)
Region: Washington, DC
Deadline: April 3, 2015
Award Amounts: Up to $10,000
The purpose of the grant is to increase the capacity of District of Columbia schools to provide physical activity to all students before, during, or after the school day.
Cambia Health Foundation Grants
Region: Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington
Letters of Inquiry Due: 4/17, 8/14
Award Amounts: Grants range from $50,000 to $100,000
Funding Priorities fall into three categories, Sojourns Funding, Transforming Health Care, and Children’s Health Care.
2015 Community Health Grants (Greater Rochester Health Foundation)
Region: Greater Rochester, NY Region (Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, or Yates Counties).
Deadlines: There are two cycles, the first cycle due date is 3/23 and the second cycle due date is 9/16.
Award Amounts: Grants range from $5,000 to $50,000
Grants are intended to support a variety of short-term, health-benefiting activities or organizations whose primary mission includes health services and/or health promotion.
Kansas Health Foundation Recognition Grants
Region: Kansas
Deadline: Application deadlines are 3/15 and 9/15
Award Amounts: Grants are made up to $25,000
Grants are targeted for organizations and agencies proposing meaningful and charitable projects that fit within the Foundation’s mission of improving the health of all Kansans.
Grant Opportunity: Kaiser Permanente Programs
One of America’s leading health care providers, Kaiser Permanente, offers multiple areas of grant opportunities. Grants are broken down to national and regional sections. National grants are made to programs that serve multiple Kaiser Permanente regions and/or have a national impact on health and policy. Complete details on the national grant program eligibility as well as the program application are available through Kaiser Permanente’s website. Applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis throughout the year.
Regional grants are made available near the locations of Kaiser Permanente regional offices. The regions listed are Northern California, Southern California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Mid-Atlantic, and Northwest. From a broad perspective, the organization states that successful grant applicants fit within Kaiser Permanente’s funding priorities with work that examines social determinants of health and/or addresses the elimination of health disparities and inequities. Funding priority areas include community health initiatives, safety net partnerships, care for low-income people, and developing and disseminating knowledge but do differ by region and sub-region, so be sure to consult the region and sub-region relevant to your specific target population’s location.
With the RFP and grantmaking process different for each region, interested applicants within one of the listed regions should visit their regional page. Links to each regions grant section can be found under “Regional Grants” on the grants overview page. Additionally, we have broken out some information below:
- Central Valley (Organizations that meet basic eligibility requirements and seeking an unsolicited grant for a program that fits with current priorities may submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) application at any time.
- Diablo (Letter of Interest due March 2nd, 2015)
- East Bay (2015 information hasn’t been announced)
- Fresno (2015 application dates have passed)
- Greater Southern Alameda (2015 information hasn’t been announced)
- Marin/Sonoma (2015 information hasn’t been announced)
- Napa-Solano (2015 information hasn’t been announced)
- Roseville (Application due March 23, 2015–mandatory letters of interest were due in early February)
- Sacramento (Applicants who submitted required letters of intent due earlier in the year will be notified March 5th, 2015 if they are invited to submit a full proposal)
- San Francisco (Next solicitation is scheduled for Fall 2015)
- South Bay/San Jose/Santa Clara (Letters of Interest are due February 27th, 2015, Full applications due April 17th, 2015.)
- San Mateo (Applications due March 13th, 2015)
- South Sacramento (Applicants who submitted required letters of intent due earlier in the year will be notified March 4th, 2015 if they are invited to submit a full proposal)
Grant Opportunity: The Wellmark Foundation (Iowa and South Dakota)
The Wellmark Foundation is offering two grant programs in 2015, Healthy Communities Small Grant Program and Matching Assets To Community Health (MATCH) Grant Program. The program supports nonprofit organizations or community groups in Iowa and South Dakota that develop, implement and enhance local wellness and prevention projects with a focus on long-term sustainability.
Applications for the Healthy Communities Small Grant Program must be received by Monday, February 23rd, 2015. Grants are being offered for projects that address community-based wellness and prevention with a focus on access to nutritious foods and safe places to be active. Applicants may request up to $25,000. For complete details see the Healthy Communities PDF here.
A letter of interest for the MATCH grant program is due by Friday, May 15, 2015. The MATCH grant program supports projects that promote active living and built environments and increase access to and consumption of nutritious foods. Applicants must request up to $75,000 but need to offer matching funds and are encouraged to do so by leveraging local partners and/or sponsors. The most competitive applications will offer a dollar-for-dollar (or greater) match. For complete details see the MATCH grant program PDF here.
Interested in applying for the MATCH grant but need assistance determining where the matching funds will come from? Contact us to discuss your options, including but not limited to applying to other funders who may be willing to provide you with a matching grant!
Featured Grant Opportunity: General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids
General Mills offers a grant funding program, Champions for Healthy Kids, that focuses on promoting healthy nutrition and fitness for America’s youth.
We’re including some basic information on the grant below. For complete details, be sure to visit the General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids Grant webpage.
Program Overview: Projects offering physical activity and nutrition education to youth ages 2-18 that involve a Registered Dietitian (RD) or a Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR) can be funded.
Award: 50 total grants of $20,000 each will be awarded. This is double the $10,000 award amount they offered annually for over 10 years!
Who Can Apply: Applicants must be 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, schools, or units of government to be eligible to receive funding. In 2014, your Dietitian must be the official applicant. That person must agree to submit the application on behalf of your organization.
When is the Deadline? March 14th, 2014.
Something Cool or Unique About This Opportunity: This year the funder has included an optional proposal design self-assessment as part of the online application. While use is not required, once you have your project plan details in mind, you can use this tool to determine plan strengths and weaknesses and improve upon your design prior to application submission! Make good use of this valuable tool!
Where Can I Get More Information? Access the application here, and find FAQs put together by General Mills about the grant program here.
Featured Grant Opportunity: AstraZeneca Connections for Cardiovascular Health
The AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation is offering grant funding through their Connections for Cardiovascular Health Program. This exciting program was first offered in 2010.
We’re including some basic information on the grant below. For complete details be sure to visit the AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation program website.
Program Overview: Grant funding will be awarded to US-based, nonprofit organizations working to improve cardiovascular health in their communities.
Schools are eligible applicants, and a school-based project could be competitive, although we caution schools that they will be competing with all kinds of projects for cardiovascular wellness. While a project involving Physical Education (PE) program improvement one piece of a multi-component project, we aren’t confident a project that is aiming solely at PE improvement would be very competitive.
Award: The minimum annual request amount is $150,000. Awards typically range from $150,000 to $250,000 per year. In 2014, applicants may request funding for one- or two-year projects, although the funder indicates that only exceptional projects will be considered for multi-year awards and that even those applicants will have to complete an application process for the second year of funding–funding for both years is not guaranteed by an award made for the first year.
Who Can Apply: Applicants must be US-based, nonprofit organizations with a 501(c) designation or public schools, government entities or municipal institutions that are eligible to accept tax-deductable, charitable contributions. Both individual schools and school districts are eligible to apply! Organizations that have a 509(a)(3)designation are ineligible for funding unless the organization is renewing previously awarded CCH program funding.
When is the Deadline? 2/27/2014
How Much Work is Involved in the Application? This application requires quite a bit of effort. As would be expected with a large award size, the funded is requiring a thorough plan that is well-thought out and justified, and applicants need to present a substantial amount of detail on all aspects of their projects. The funder notes that in 2013, they received 500 applications and made 19 awards. This means 1 in about 26 applicants–3.8%–received awards, making this program extremely competitive. We include these statistics not to discourage you from applying but to underscore the necessity of a very detailed and well-articulated project plan in line with the funder’s rules, requirements, and overall aims.
Something Cool or Unique About this Opportunity: The application must be submitted online, but the funder includes a full PDF of all of the questions and notes to consider as you generate your responses. Even better, the Foundation provides a sample application for potential applicants to help them better understand the types of responses the Foundation is looking for! Make use of this great tool!
More Information/How to Apply: Visit the AstraZeneca Healthcare Foundation website for complete program information and click the “how to apply” tab.
We’ll continue to add more featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Featured Grant Opportunity: BCBS of Alabama Be Healthy School Grant
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama is offering a Be Healthy School Grant for schools in Alabama.
We’re including basic information on the grant below. Be sure to visit the BCBS Alabama Grant press release for more details.
Program Overview: The grant program is designed to help prevent childhood obesity. Grant funding is for the implementation of school-based health and wellness programs that emphasize increased exercise, nutrition education and parental involvement during the school year.
Award: $250,000 total is available. 25 schools will receive awards of up to $10,000 each.
Who Can Apply: Schools in Alabama that enroll students in kindergarten through sixth grades are eligible to apply.
When is the Deadline: March 7th, 2014
More Information/How to Apply: Check out the BCBS of Alabama Grant press release and request an application by emailing CommunityRelations@bcbsal.org.
We’ll continue to add more featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Featured Grant Opportunity: BCBS South Carolina Foundation
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of South Carolina is making grants to 501c3 non-profits and government agencies located in and serving target populations in South Carolina.
We’re including basic information on the grant below. Be sure to visit the BCBS South Carolina Foundation grants page for full details and access to the required Letter of Intent form.
Program Overview: The BCBS of South Carolina is making grants for the following topic areas in 2014: Prevention of Obesity, Child/Adolescent Health, Community Health, Health Care and Free Medical Clinics, Mental Health, Nursing Issues, and Research/Special Topics. Details on the focuses of each topic area can be found at the BCBS South Carolina Grants Page.
Award: The funder site indicates there is no specific request limit or range, and that all requests should be justified and reasonable. We contacted the funder to try to obtain a bit more detail here, and the contact responding reiterated the Foundation does not have a specific award range and the importance of providing clear justification for all grant requests.
Who Can Apply: 501c3 non-profits and government agencies located in and serving target populations in South Carolina.
When is the Deadline: There are two grant cycles in 2014. One cycle is in the Spring, and one is in the Fall. For the first cycle, those interested in applying must submit a Letter of Intent using the foundation’s two-page form to be received by 5pm next Wednesday, 2/19/2014. The Letter of Intent may be emailed, mailed, or hand-delivered but must be received by 5pm on the deadline day. The funder notes that overnight deliveries are discouraged since all packages received by the Foundation are first delivered to the corporate mail room. Actual receipt by the Foundation of items sent overnight may take up to three days. Therefore, overnighting your Letter the day before the deadline will most likely mean your letter will be received by the Foundation AFTER the deadline and not be considered.
After reviewing your letter, if the Foundation is interested in your proposed project, the Foundation will request a full grant proposal and indicate the deadline for that proposal.
How Much Work is Involved in the Application? The required Letter of Intent form is brief and allows you to provide a very quick overview of the key components of your project and the population you’ll serve. Due to the short length of this form, and the funder’s requirement responses be limited to the two-page form, completing and submitting it should not require much time at all. We anticipate that most potential applicants with clear ideas in mind about who they will serve, what they will do, and how much that will cost should be able to complete the form in a week or less. The Foundation indicates that cover letters, letters of support, commitment, or recommendations should NOT be included in the submission.
The amount of work required to complete a full application, if requested, is unknown, but we anticipate it would be a typically significant amount of time. Applicants who are asked to complete full grant proposals should be prepared to provide full details on all aspects of their proposed projects and should allow themselves several weeks to prepare their proposals.
We’ll continue to add more featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Featured Grant Opportunity: HEAL Appalachia
The HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) Appalachia Community Grants Program provides grants to community organizations to support new efforts and expand existing efforts to measurably reduce childhood obesity.
We’re including basic information on the grant below. Be sure to visit the HEAL Appalachia Grants Page for full details and access to the grant application.
Program Overview: The purpose of the Community Grants Program is to support new efforts or expand existing efforts to improve children’s healthy by promoting healthy eating and active living initiatives throughout Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Projects should promote the 5-2-1-0 message and facilitate achievement of that aim. 5-2-1-0 stands for consumption of 5 or more fruits and vegetables daily, 2 or fewer hours of recreational screen time daily, 1 or more hours of physical activity daily, and 0 sugary drinks–more water and low-fat milk instead.
Award: There are two levels of awards: $2,000 and $5,000. Fifteen grants of $2,000 will be made, and four grants of $5,000 will be made. Applicants requesting $5,000 will automatically be considered for $2,000 awards as well, though only one award is likely to be made. An applicant may only submit one application. Awards will be announced at the April 16, 2014 Annual HEAL Symposium–awardees must attend the Symposium.
Who Can Apply: Community-based non-profit organizations located in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Northeast Tennessee is defined as the following counties: Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington. Southwest Virginia is defined as the following counties: Buchanan, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington/Bristol City, Wise/Norton City, and Wythe.
When is the Deadline?: Monday, February 17th, 2014
How Much Work is Involved in the Application? The application is not particularly lengthy. The narrative section of the application requires 200 to 500 words.
Something Cool or Unique About This Opportunity: Although most private funders/foundations offer very little (if any) information on how the application will be scored, this funder has provided a rubric for you to refer to as you prepare your application: http://www.healappalachia.com/uploads/pdf_files/HEAL_2014FOA_Exhibit.pdf. Note that separate rubrics have been provided for new grant projects and “existing grants” (projects that received HEAL funding last year). Make good use of this tool!
We’ll continue to add more great featured grant opportunities to the Insight Blog. If you would like more information on Insight’s grant writing, editing, or research services, please contact us by phone at 716-474-0981, email info@insightgrants.com, or fill out our online contact form.
Featured Grant Opportunity: CYCLE Kids Fit Kids are Happy Kids Grant
CYCLE Kids is an incredible organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that offers a Fit Kids are Happy Kids Grant to obtain a CYCLE Kids Program. CYCLE kids uses a comprehensive curriculum that teaches not just the skill and safe practices of riding a bike, but also how to make good nutrition choices; incorporating physical activity, reading and writing skills.
Below you’ll find basic information on the grant. If you are interested in getting the complete details or applying be sure to visit the Fit Kids are Happy Kids Grant page.
Program Overview: Designed for 4th and 5th grade students, the program can be taught during physical education classes or in after school programs.
Award: A license agreement with CYCLE Kids for curriculum and program use, teacher guidebooks, teacher training, 50 student textbooks, 10 bicycles, and 25 helmets–a $15,000 value!
Who Can Apply: Public or private schools, including charter schools or after school programs affiliated with a community center, such as a YMCA, that serves 4th and 5th grade students.
When is the Deadline?: March 3, 2014.
Where Do I Apply?: CYCLE Kids Fit Kids are Happy Kids Grant
How much work is involved in the application?: Not much! One of many great things about this application is that it is very short and simple! Good luck!!
