Active Funding Programs in 2006
Basic Support
Recognizing that many nonprofit health care organizations need assistance in maintaining a solid infrastructure of facilities, staff and supplies, the Basic Support program provides funds to organizations with less than a $10 million annual operating budget. The monies are generally used for ongoing staff and operation costs in support of the organization’s mission.
Chronic Care: Better Self-Management of Diabetes (BSMOD)
With diabetes ranking as the 7th leading cause of death in Missouri, this is one of four Priority Area Grant programs established in 2006. Grants fund collaborative, self-management diabetes programs in a variety of health care/community settings. The goal is to support organizations that help patients become more effective in self-managing their diabetes, through education, motivation, and active support in making/maintaining the necessary behavior changes. The Foundation is looking at other chronic care disease issues for future funding opportunities.
Co-Occurring Disorders (COD)
Another of the four Priority Area Grant programs established in 2006, this funding area focuses on helping organizations that treat mental health patients and those that treat substance abuse patients work collaboratively to provide integrated treatment. For the estimated 80,000 Missourians with both a serious mental illness and dependency on alcohol or illegal drugs, the lack of coordination impacts both adequate treatment options and success rates.
Emergency Funds
This program supports organizations that have immediate financial needs resulting from a natural disaster or some type of emergency situation. Examples of this include support to Missouri organizations that helped relocated Hurricane Katrina victims, or were impacted by flooding, tornadoes and the Taum Sauk Dam disaster.
General Support for Advocacy (GSA) and
Targeted Advocacy
Projects (TAP)
GSA grants enable Missouri nonprofit agencies involved in health-related public policy advocacy work to address newly emerging health policy issues in a timely way and are not earmarked for a specific project or activity. TAP grants encourage health advocates to enhance partnerships with each other, as well as additional entities throughout the state (e.g., the business, faith, and health care communities), to work toward health policies that support the concept that all Missouri residents should have access to quality, affordable health care.
Grants for Assessment & Planning (GAP)
This funding program supports efforts by eligible organizations to assess needs and plan for initiation or expansion of services to the uninsured, underinsured and underserved residents of the service region. Priority is given to assessment and planning efforts that focus on issues related to one of the Foundation’s active initiatives or Priority Area Grant programs.
Healthy & Active Communities Initiative (HAC)
With almost 25 percent of Missouri adults reported as obese, this funding effort supports programs that implement community wellness and behavior change programs. Through the 33 organizations currently funded, efforts include school-based events, walking trails, community gardens, senior citizen physical activity, nutrition programs for mentally disabled individuals and social marketing campaigns to increase awareness about good physical activity and nutrition. The Initiative also hopes to develop and strengthen efforts to implement local public policies that promote physical activity and healthy eating.
HPV Vaccine Project
This $11 million grant was made jointly to Missouri Family Health Council and Missouri Primary Care Association in order to purchase enough HPV vaccine to protect 30,000 Missouri girls and women against cervical cancer. Distribution of the vaccine began in early 2007, and is available at more than 120 health centers and clinics around the state. The largest single grant made to date by the Foundation, it is also the largest non-governmental grant made in the U.S. to purchase the vaccine.
Oral Health: Smiles Across Greater Missouri
Another of the four Priority Area Grant programs, this effort targets a “silent” epidemic of oral health issues by supporting school-based or school-linked programs that bring dental sealants to Missouri elementary and middle school students. The goal is to improve children’s access to dental care, thus improving general health and reducing the need for more costly restorative treatments in the future. The Foundation is considering a wider range of oral health issues for future funding opportunities.
Primary Care Access Initiative (PCI)
Most Missourians live outside the state’s large urban areas, and face significant challenges to their health because of a lack of access to quality health care services. This multi-year initiative focuses on improving that access and strengthening the health care safety net outside the St. Louis area. In 2006, funding for Phase 1 of this program targeted the expansion and start-up of federally qualified health centers and look-alikes in the Foundation service area, as well as support to community health centers. Future funding will focus on rural health clinics.
Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Initiative (TPCI)
With Missourians smoking at a higher rate than the national average, the state also ranks last in funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Having identified tobacco use as a major health issue in Missouri, the Foundation initiated this nine-year, $40 million funding initiative in 2004. Following earlier regional grants, the 2006 grantmaking focused on community-based programs around the state targeting tobacco prevention in schools and workplace cessation efforts. In late 2006, a $1.4 million grant to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services is funding the most comprehensive county-level survey to date on tobacco use and the prevalence of chronic diseases associated with tobacco use and secondhand smoke.