Community Health Fund – Community Foundation of San Joaquin

Community Health Fund Grants Program 2021

Letters of interest were due May 21, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. (PST)

View the Presentation Slides from the May 7, 2021 Community Health Fund Grants Program Webinar: CHF_Webinar_5.07.21

Watch the recording of the May 7, 2021 Community Health Fund Grants Program Webinar:

Program Overview for 2021

THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SAN JOAQUIN is pleased to invite eligible non-profit organizations to submit letters of interest for grant funding from the Community Health Fund. Grants are available to fund programs and activities that serve people living in San Joaquin or Calaveras County, and directly align with the Community Health Fund’s 2021 area of interest focus: promoting health outcomes and health equity.

COMMUNITY HEALTH FUND’S 2021 AREA OF INTEREST FOCUS: PROMOTING HEALTH
OUTCOMES AND HEALTH EQUITY
Historically, the Community Health Fund has sought proposals from organizations addressing any of the Fund’s three areas of interest: (i) improving healthcare services; (ii) supporting medical education; and (iii) promoting health outcomes. To further its impact in any given year, the Community Health Fund Committee may alter its approach. For the 2021 grant cycle, proposals will be sought targeting what the Committee deems as the most urgent health needs in our community for 2021: promoting health outcomes. Within the area of promoting health outcomes, the Community Health Fund is focused on supporting projects that aim to improve health equity and reduce health disparities as we move towards a post-pandemic economy.

WHAT QUALIFIES AS PROMOTING HEALTH OUTCOMES AND HEALTH EQUITY

The Community Health Fund has defined promoting health outcomes as programs or activities focused on improving healthy lifestyle opportunities and healthy behaviors that reduce the risk for developing disabling or life-threatening diseases and improve one’s everyday quality of life.

Letters of interest for the Community Health Fund’s 2021 grant cycle should include a health program or activity that improves individuals’ and families’ ability to make healthy choices and lead healthy lifestyles. This may include both physical, mental, and/or emotional health. The intended outcome of the work should facilitate the adoption of healthy behaviors in the short term and lead to positive changes in physical, mental, and/or emotional health in the longterm.

Program characteristics should include one or more of the following:

Improving mental health, which may include emotional, psychological, social well-being, and/or substance use disorders
Healthy eating, including increasing access to healthy foods and fresh produce
Active living, including increasing access to safe places for physical activity
Prevention and early intervention efforts targeting obesity

As part of the focus to improve health equity and reduce health disparities, projects that
include the following will be given priority consideration:

Projects that have a place-based approach to addressing health equity
Health assessment and improvement projects that involve direct community member input and representation from groups that have been historically marginalized.
Projects that include collaborations/partnerships with local Community Based Organizations to increase access to health and social services for under-resourced populations.
Projects that aim to improve the health and reduce health disparities in groups that have been historically marginalized, including youth.

RESOURCES ON HEALTH REPORTS FOR SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY
Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the following resources in preparation for submitting a letter of interest for consideration.

The San Joaquin County Community Health Needs Assessment
The Community Health Improvement Plan for San Joaquin County

FUNDING FOR 2021
The Community Foundation of San Joaquin has committed a total of $150,000 for this grants program in 2021. The maximum grant amount an applicant may request under this program is $40,000, although applicants may request less than the maximum amount.

TIMEFRAME FOR USING GRANT MONIES
The timeframe to expend grant monies is OCTOBER 1, 2021 – DECEMBER 31, 2022.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Those organizations receiving grant awards will be required to submit progress and final reports, as well as a financial report.

Eligibility Criteria

The Community Foundation of San Joaquin will accept letters of interest from the following organizations:

Nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, classified as a public charity, not as a “private foundation” under section 509(a), and are designated a 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2) organization; and
Local public education agencies such as K-12 public school districts, community colleges, and public universities.

Organizations must be located in San Joaquin or Calaveras County. Proposed programs or activities must directly benefit people living in San Joaquin or Calaveras County.

Selection Process

Letter of Interest – The submission of a letter of interest is the initial step in seeking grant funding. The Community Health Fund Committee will review qualifying letters of interest and determine whether a full grant proposal will be requested, or if the letter of interest will be declined.

Full Grant Proposals – For those invited to submit full grant proposals, the proposals will be evaluated by the Community Health Fund Committee. Grant funding awards will be made by the Foundation’s Board of Directors, based on recommendations provided by the Community Health Fund Committee. Decisions made by the Board of Directors are final.

Selection Criteria

The Community Foundation of San Joaquin will accept letters of interest from eligible organizations that propose programs or activities that directly align the Community Health Fund’s 2021 grantmaking focus on promoting health outcomes and health equity (see description above.) Within this area, preference in the application review process will be given to funding programs or activities that demonstrate a commitment to:

TARGET POPULATIONS – Serving groups that have been historically marginalized in our community
PLACE BASED – Targets an entire community and addresses issues that exist at the neighborhood level
INNOVATION – Proposing innovative modes/models of delivering services
WHOLE-PERSON APPROACH – Projects that address a “whole-person” approach to physical and mental healthcare
PARTNERSHIPS – Working with other nonprofit organizations/local public agencies in the community to increase strategic impact
SUSTAINABILITY – Having a lasting and measurable impact
IN-KIND/MONETARY SUPPORT – leveraging other support through either in-kind contributions or monetary, or a combination of both (see examples below of in-kind and monetary support)

Examples of in-kind support include non-cash donations of goods, services, property, equipment, books, clothing, furniture, supplies, advertising, lending staff time, volunteer time and professional expertise that is used in achieving your program objectives.

Examples of monetary support include grant monies and/or donations from other external funders, including matching funds, that will be used in achieving your program objectives.

Submission Review Timeline

Below are the approximate review dates for submissions. Applicants will be contacted directly upon completion of the various stages of review. The Foundation will contact applicants by email.

Letter of Interest Due Date – Letters of interest must be submitted on or before May 21, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. (PST)
Letter of Interest Review (Approximate) – Letters of interest will be reviewed and a determination made in June 2021.
Grant Proposal Review (Approximate) – Those applicants invited to submit full grant proposals can expect a determination on full proposals in August 2021.
Date Funds Available (Approximate) – Grant funding will be made available by October 2021.

REQUEST FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Requests for technical assistance with using our online grant portal, including any questions about the Community Health Fund, must be submitted in writing by e-mail to Louis Ponick at lponick@cfosj.org with the subject line “Community Health Fund.”

About Community Health Fund

The Community Health Fund was established in 2017 by the Community Foundation of San Joaquin, through a generous gift from the DBB (Delta Blood Bank) Foundation.