May 21, 2020
Contact: Jennifer Sykes
Phone: (816) 241-7006
Kansas City, MO — Health Forward Foundation has awarded 25 nonprofit organizations a total of $1,229,700 in applicant defined grants in the first quarter of 2020.
We are proud to support the following:
| Agency | Award | Grant Description |
| BikeWalkKC | $60,000 | To support bike safety and maintenance classes, community engagement, and capacity-building workshops, which will help achieve increased mobility and transportation access for people who live in neighborhoods with poor health indicators. |
| Cancer Action | $50,000 | To provide practical services, nutritional and emotional support, and financial assistance to more than 1,200 vulnerable cancer patients in the Kansas City area. |
| Care Beyond the Boulevard | $15,000 | To deliver health care to individuals without stable housing. Funding supports core operations; improves governance; increases development and administrative capacity; and enhances volunteer and partner engagement efforts. |
| Child Abuse Prevention Association | $65,000 | To prevent and treat child abuse, parental neglect, and other forms of adverse childhood experiences by supporting core operations. |
| Child Protection Center | $48,720 | To provide direct access to forensic interviews, family advocacy, and mental health service referrals for victims of child abuse and their families. |
| Community Housing of Wyandotte County | $60,000 | To support the development and launch of the Healthy Home Minor Home Repair Program that will address living conditions in existing homes of low- and moderate-income families in Wyandotte County. |
| Developing Potential | $50,000 | To support a full-time nurse who will address the medical needs of adults with developmental disabilities. |
| Frontier Schools | $20,000 | To update existing health care supplies and school-based services offered to students and their families. |
| Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness | $50,000 | To respond to the COVID-19 outbreak by providing emergency quarantine shelter; concentrated drop-in shelter services; and necessary supplies, staffing, and equipment for medical and outreach applications. Funding will ensure the safety and well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness. |
| Groundwork Northeast Revitalization Group | $75,000 | To increase access to fresh, affordable food in Wyandotte County by supporting Dotte Mobile Grocer operating costs. |
| Guadalupe Centers | $52,800 | To improve the health and well-being of more than 1,000 low-income seniors in KCMO and Wyandotte County by providing healthy, nutritious meals and increased social interactions. |
| Hope Faith Ministries | $50,000 | To support core operations and COVID-19 relief efforts targeting vulnerable homeless populations. |
| Humanity House Foundation | $40,000 | To reduce hunger and homelessness in Allen County through support of core operations. |
| Kanbe’s Markets | $25,000 | To provide fresh, healthy, and affordable food throughout neighborhoods across Kansas City’s east side. |
| Linwood Area Ministries Place | $40,000 | To support the building of a shared kitchen space and promote access to healthy and affordable food in partnership with Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council. |
| Missouri Health Care For All | $65,000 | To protect existing health care programs and pass health policy improvements for Missourians in need by leading statewide consumer health advocacy efforts, building coalitions, and using integrated organizing and lobbying strategies. |
| Mother’s Refuge | $45,000 | To increase organizational capacity and expand comprehensive services for homeless young moms and babies through support of technology improvements and leadership development. |
| Operation Breakthrough | $60,000 | To support a youth therapist position in providing crisis intervention, group therapy, and individual and family therapy services. |
| Planned Parenthood Great Plains | $65,000 | To sustain bilingual, evidence-based sexual and reproductive health education programs, and enhance community-based HIV screening in Wyandotte County. |
| SAVE, Inc. | $50,000 | To provide housing support, crisis management, and access to care for individuals with medical and social disabilities who are experiencing homelessness. |
| Shepherd’s Center Central | $37,900 | To offset decreasing revenue and increased expenses caused by the pandemic, funds support core operations to continue providing food delivery and reducing social isolation of low-income seniors. |
| Start at Zero | $75,000 | To provide developmental screenings and connect children to early interventions before school entry. |
| Sunflower House | $50,000 | To support administrative and fundraising staff positions devoted to the Child Assessment Program. |
| The Family Conservancy | $50,280 | To offer therapeutic services for approximately 450 low-income children, adults, and families in Jackson County. |
| Veterans Community Project | $30,000 | To expand and enhance the veterans services program, which provides exceptional case management services for veterans in need. |
“Each of these organizations is working to remove health barriers in our communities, said Qiana Thomason, Health Forward President/CEO. “We are proud to provide this type of responsive funding for our partners.”
Health Forward reviewed 68 proposals totaling $4,062,514 for this funding round.
Applicant defined grants are reviewed and awarded monthly. These grants allow organizations to define their own immediate grant needs in relation to Health Forward’s mission, target population, and service area.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Forward has changed its applicant defined grant process to support current and future health and economic needs created by COVID-19.