MFH Awards $1.3 Million to Help Nonprofits Curb Tobacco Use and Fight Obesity in Missouri
St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 18, 2011 -- Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) has selected seven Missouri nonprofits to receive matching grant funds through the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. MFH’s Board of Directors selected the seven organizations as part of the Foundation’s Social Innovation for Missouri (SIM) grant program, developed in response to the SIF award. These one-year awards will be eligible for renewal based on performance.
MFH’s SIM program helps nonprofits jointly address obesity and tobacco use, which are Missouri’s leading causes of preventable illness and premature death, especially among low-income populations. SIM funding includes a $2 million grant from SIF, $2 million in MFH match funding, and local-level match funding.
The SIM program represents the first opportunity for MFH to award grants outside its usual service region, which includes 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. “Partnering with the federal government to expand tested, community-based programs for smoking and obesity to more areas in Missouri is a tremendous opportunity for MFH and the population it serves,” said Dr. James R. Kimmey, MFH president and chief executive officer.
“MFH already has focused substantial funding on obesity and tobacco use through two existing funding programs,” Kimmey said. “SIM provides an opportunity to build on that experience and expand efforts to more communities in Missouri, which has some of the highest smoking and obesity rates in the nation.”
The seven nonprofits MFH approved for SIM funding for year one are:
Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County, Lexington, $130,601. Funding helps the Kansas City-area coalition increase access to locally grown food; increase physical activity to improve health and reduce obesity; develop new exercise trails and sidewalks; and add tobacco prevention and cessation classes in the county. www.hccnetwork.org
Heartland Foundation, St. Joseph, $176,271. With funding, the organization is improving healthy food access and physical activity in elementary schools in the St. Joseph area; expanding and promoting the use of outdoor recreational facilities; and making outdoor public spaces smoke-free throughout the city of St. Joseph. www.heartlandfoundation.org
Independence City Health Department, Independence, $242,748. With funding, the Kansas City-area health department is expanding access to safe areas for physical exercise; increasing availability of fresh foods and tobacco prevention and cessation programs; increasing calorie posting in area restaurants; and implementing a counter-marketing campaign to decrease tobacco use and promote new smoke-free policies. www.ci.independence.mo.us/health
Knox County Community Center Inc., Edina, $388,187. The northeast Missouri organization is using funding to construct a community center, increase workplace wellness policies, increase access to healthy foods, and provide smoking prevention and cessation programs for residents of five counties. www.facebook.com/pages/Knox-County-Community-Center/228051739806
Ozarks Regional YMCA, Springfield, $107,676. Funding helps the organization reduce obesity and tobacco use by developing a sustainable wellness, nutrition and physical activity culture at 15 area schools and work sites. Strategies include incentive programs for biking and walking to work; promotion of Missouri’s tobacco Quitline; and increasing access to farm fresh food. www.orymca.org
Putnam County Health Department, Unionville, $100,000. The north central Missouri health department plans to increase the number of local businesses with tobacco-free policies; increase walkability and bikability in the county; and educate the community about the need for complete streets policies that plan roadways with all users in mind – including bicyclists, pedestrians, vehicles, and people of all physical abilities. http://putnamcohealthdept.org/resources.html
Saint Louis University, St. Louis, $157,175. The university is spearheading a partnership with a local hospital, government agencies and nonprofits to create a school-based initiative to improve nutrition, reduce obesity and decrease tobacco use among students in the Jennings Public School District. www.slu.edu/index.hml .
MFH’s previous obesity and tobacco funding led to partnerships with Trailnet and the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, two nonprofits with considerable experience in active living and tobacco-free policies and programming. These organizations will provide best-practice technical assistance to the seven grant recipients.
In July 2010, MFH was one of 11 U.S. grantmaking organizations selected to receive Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grants. SIF is an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which improves the lives of people in low-income U.S. communities. Through an innovative public-private partnership, SIF and local grantmakers co-invest in programs that target community-based solutions to impact youth development, economic opportunity or healthy futures opportunities. Every Federal dollar invested is matched with private funds. To learn more, visit www.NationalService.gov/Innovation.
Established in 2000, MFH is the largest nongovernmental funder of community health activities in Missouri. MFH is in its eighth year of grantmaking, having issued more than $400 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to improving the health of uninsured and underserved residents in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.
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