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Kansas City, MO — The Health Forward Foundation (Health Forward) is proud to award $2.65 million in grants to 24 nonprofit organizations through our 2017 Healthy Communities funding.
The grants will support environments and policies that promote opportunities for healthy eating, active living and tobacco use prevention.
“One of the best ways to improve health in our community is to support organizations working to make healthy habits become the norm,” said Bridget McCandless, M.D., President/CEO of the Health Forward Foundation. “We are proud to partner with these organizations that are engaging, mobilizing and supporting multi-sector collaborations in our community.”
Health Forward received 50 proposals totaling nearly $7.6 million in requests.
The following grants were awarded during the June Board of Directors meeting:
[efstable width =”100%”] [efstable_head] [efsth_column]Agency[/efsth_column] [efsth_column]Award[/efsth_column] [efsth_column]Project Description[/efsth_column] [/efstable_head] [efstable_body] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]After the Harvest[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$200,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To support and expand the work of After the Harvest by increasing the amount and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables provided to food banks and feeding agencies in Missouri and Kansas.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]American Lung Association Of The Upper Midwest[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$190,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To make local policy changes in regards to tobacco at the point of sale.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Argentine Neighborhood Development Association[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$95,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To improve and sustain a positive health trajectory among Argentine residents through a Community Council, enhanced engagement, and expanding public-private partnerships to increase health education, family wellness and fitness-oriented activities.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Cornerstones of Care[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$88,165[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To provide staff support and materials for the Cornerstones of Care Healthy Living and Food Systems Program, which engages, mentors, and provides community collaborative opportunities for adolescents to develop behavioral resiliency and healthy habits.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Cultivate KC[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$150,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To help refugees and families develop independent farm businesses while increasing access to healthy food; and to provide education, networking, financial support and individualized technical assistance to farmers and consumers across Kansas City.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]El Centro[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$112,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To support the Promotoras de Salud program, especially as it pertains to teaching the community about the “Double Your Food Bucks” program, using local farmers markets, diabetes education, and how to eat healthier on a budget.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Episcopal Community Services[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$75,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To increase efficiency in emergency food services through collaboration and community mobilization; and to increase access to healthy, nutritious foods for our community’s food-insecure population.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]KC Healthy Kids[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$250,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To advance policies through community engagement to increase access to healthy foods and safe environments for physical activity; and to educate and engage youth to promote healthy school and community environments.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Harvesters – The Community Food Network[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$132,500[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To provide nutritious, fresh produce and educational classes that empower the underserved communities who need it most.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Health Care Collaborative of Rural Missouri[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$50,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To build capacity among community leaders to increase access to food, health care, and other needed resources for their communities.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$85,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To address health and wellness inequities in tandem with residents, partner organizations, government officials, and the community.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Jewish Vocational Service[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$60,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To continue the Global Gardens program for refugees and expand the clients served. JVS will begin transitioning seasoned growers out of the Global Gardens sites onto their own garden spaces, freeing up garden plots for new growers to join the project.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Kansas City Community Gardens[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$130,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To provide gardening and nutrition education, garden construction assistance, low-cost gardening materials and supplies, and ongoing technical assistance for community and school gardens across the Kansas City Metropolitan area.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Kansas University Endowment Association[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$131,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]Dotte Agency will engage three Unified Government of Wyandotte County Healthy Community Corridor Groups (northeast, central and south) at centers in each area to build engagement plans, tool kits and elements that fulfill user-centered needs and policies to promote access to healthy food, walkability, and healthy, active lifestyles.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Legal Aid of Western Missouri[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$70,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To support the Adopt-A-Neighborhood Project, which improves Kansas City’s urban core by pairing neighborhoods with local law firms that provide legal services to the neighborhood associations and residents to address community environmental and health issues.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Reconciliation Services[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$110,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To provide staff support and necessary improvements to increase the capacity of the RS Community Café and Food Pantry to provide healthy, wholesome food and serve as a critically needed community hub.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Rosedale Development Association[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$100,359[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To expand and continue Rosedale Healthy Kids, a community-based project to improve equitable access to healthy food and opportunities for active living for all who live, work and play in Rosedale, a neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$73,150[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To improve the health status of patients at Cabot Westside Medical & Dental Clinic by enrolling them in an expanded care coordination program addressing malnutrition/food insecurity, health literacy, physical inactivity, social isolation, and depression.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Thrive Allen County[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$88,531[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To make bicycling and walking the easy choice to reduce financial burdens of transportation and improve health in Allen County.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$103,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To make policy and system changes in order to plan more bicycle infrastructure, sidewalks, and recreational trails; and to engage the community to prioritize these projects.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Upper Room[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$115,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To support Upper Room’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative by providing fitness and nutrition programs at the Mary L. Kelly Center and building capacity among the Blue Hills and Town Fork Creek Neighborhood Associations to advocate for policy change.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]The Urban Farming Guys[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$66,295[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To engage members of the community through the promotion of healthy food access and a healthy economy.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Urban Neighborhood Initiative[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$100,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To provide staff support and necessary project materials to engage UNI residents in health and wellness planning and project implementation for their respective neighborhood.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [efstable_row] [efsrow_column]Young Women on the Move[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]$75,000[/efsrow_column] [efsrow_column]To engage girls to positively impact the health behaviors of youth and families in Wyandotte County by empowering them to examine issues in their community, such as access to healthy foods, increased opportunities for active lifestyles and tobacco use prevention.[/efsrow_column] [/efstable_row] [/efstable_body] [/efstable]
The Healthy Communities grants are the first round of Foundation Defined Grants awarded by Health Forward in 2017. Learn more about applying for Health Forward Foundation Defined Grants.
