Nonprofits in the St. Louis area have received a total of $454,046 in grants from Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH). Grant funding supports nonprofit organizations that work to improve the health of thousands of Missourians.
The local grants are part of a $1 million round of funding recently approved by
MFH’s Board of Directors. The funding includes MFH’s first “mini-grants,” designed to provide short-term support to organizations conducting small, targeted health improvement efforts.
Five mini-grants totaling $45,431 were made under MFH’s Community Health and Prevention (CHP) funding program. The goal of CHP funding is to establish communities where good health, healthy behaviors, and the healthy choice are the norm. CHP mini-grants were awarded to:
- Beyond Housing/Neighborhood Housing Services, St. Louis, $8,608. With funding, the organization is promoting use of local park space for healthy family activities.
- Saint Louis BicycleWORKS, St. Louis, $10,000. Funding helps the organization expand its Earn-A-Bike program to encourage more schoolchildren to be physically active.
- Saint Louis Effort for AIDS, St. Louis, $10,000. Funding helps the organization expand its testing, education and counseling services among women at risk for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted conditions.
- Trailnet Inc., St. Louis, $10,000. With funding, the organization is expanding physical activity opportunities for children through safe walk-to-school programs.
- Women in Charge, St. Louis, $6,823. Funding helps the organization offer nutrition and physical activity education to women and families in need.
MFH’s Health Care Workforce Development funding program supports projects that increase the number of health care practitioners in underserved areas; encourage youth to consider health careers; and increase health professional schools’ enrollment and graduation capacity.
MFH awarded a grant to:
- St. Louis Public Schools Foundation, St. Louis, $182,123. With funding, the foundation is increasing students’ health career awareness through job shadowing, internships and related programs.
MFH made two area mini-grants through its Health Literacy funding program. Health Literacy grants help organizations improve Missourians’ understanding of important health information, and enhance communication between consumers and care providers. Organizations receiving Health Literacy mini-grants are:
- Deaconess Parish Nurse Ministries, St. Louis, $8,380. Funding helps the organization provide health literacy training for parish nurses.
- Jefferson County Community Partnership Inc., Barnhart, $19,436. With funding, the St. Louis-area organization is offering instructor training in mental health first aid.
Four mini-grants totaling $38,750 were made under MFH’s Services Delivery funding program. The goal of Services Delivery funding is to help communities develop appropriate local safety nets to ensure continuity, coordination, availability and quality of care for all residents. Services Delivery mini-grants were awarded to:
- ALS Association St. Louis Regional Chapter, St. Louis, $10,000. With funding, the association is training its case managers in the use of new communication technology for patients with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
- Disability Resource Association of Jefferson County, Crystal City, $10,000. Funding helps the St. Louis-area association educate seniors and disabled individuals about managing chronic conditions and living safely at home.
- Logos School, St. Louis, $10,000. With funding, the school is establishing a mental health outreach program for parents and students.
- Provident Counseling Inc., St. Louis, $8,750. The organization is using funds to train therapists in play therapy for children with behavioral and emotional disorders.
MFH’s Strategic Organizational Development (SOD) funding program supports specific, short-term interventions that help organizations and coalitions build capacity, improve operational efficiency and become more effective in improving Missourians’ health. A total of $159,926 in SOD grants went to:
- ALIVE (Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments), St. Louis, $20,000. Funding
helps the organization develop a three-year strategic plan.
- America Scores St. Louis, $20,000. Funding helps the organization evaluate its current programs and develop a strategic plan.
- Center for Survivors of Torture and War Trauma, St. Louis, $5,950. The organization is using funds to establish a new financial management system.
- Institute for Family Medicine, St. Louis, $18,300. With funding, the organization is creating a strategic communications plan.
- Jefferson County Health Department, Hillsboro, $19,215. Funding helps the St. Louis-area health department create an evaluation system to track its strategic planning, fund development and program impact.
- Maternal Child and Family Health Coalition, St. Louis, $19,991. The coalition is using funds to evaluate the effectiveness of its programs.
- Paraquad Inc., St. Louis, $17,670. The organization is using funds to evaluate the effectiveness of its programs.
- Provident Counseling, St. Louis, $20,000. Funding helps the organization develop a new strategic plan.
- Shalom House, St. Louis, $18,800. Funding helps the organization develop a new strategic plan.
Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) is an independent philanthropic foundation dedicated to empowering Missourians to achieve equal access to quality health services. MFH provides grant funding and education, and fosters community partnerships to promote health improvement, especially for the uninsured and underserved. Since its founding in 2000, MFH has provided more than $455 million in grants and awards to organizations in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.