Healthy Community Grant

The Healthy Community Grant is a competitive funding opportunity offered by the Health and Wellness Foundation of Pike County, a private philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the overall health and well being of residents in Pike County, Illinois. The foundation focuses on supporting initiatives that enhance physical, mental, emotional, and social health outcomes. Through this program, the foundation seeks to partner with organizations that are directly addressing the most pressing health concerns and disparities affecting the local population. The grant reflects the foundation’s mission to invest in community driven solutions that produce measurable improvements in health access, education, and quality of life. This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects with budgets of up to 7500 dollars within a twelve month funding cycle. The program is structured to support relatively small scale but high impact initiatives that can be implemented within a one year period. Projects exceeding this funding threshold are directed to a separate funding stream, indicating that this grant is intentionally designed for focused, community level interventions rather than large scale or multi year efforts. Funds are intended to support programmatic activities that align with identified health priorities and demonstrate clear benefit to residents of Pike County. Eligible uses of funds include programs addressing a wide range of health related issues such as obesity, nutrition, exercise, childhood health, mental and behavioral health, substance abuse, oral health, access to dental care, and general quality of life factors including access to food, shelter, and basic health services. Additional eligible focus areas include prevention and wellness initiatives, health education, access to care, and organizational capacity building. The foundation emphasizes projects that not only address immediate health concerns but also contribute to long term sustainability and systemic improvement in community health outcomes. Eligibility for the Healthy Community Grant is limited to tax exempt nonprofit organizations recognized under section 501 c 3 of the Internal Revenue Code, organizations operating under a 501 c 3 fiscal sponsor, schools, and governmental or public entities. While organizations may be located outside of Pike County, they must deliver services within Pike County, Illinois. The grant supports both new and existing programs, and prior recipients of foundation funding remain eligible to apply. The foundation explicitly excludes individuals, religious organizations, clubs, political campaigns, lobbying efforts, and projects involving expenses already incurred or general capital campaigns. The application process requires submission of a formal proposal that demonstrates alignment with the foundation’s mission and funding priorities. Applications are made available beginning in June each year and must be submitted by mail to the foundation office no later than August 1 annually. Applicants must provide two copies of the completed application, adhere to strict formatting requirements including a maximum of ten pages, and exclude any unrequested supplementary materials. Electronic submissions, including email or fax, are not accepted, and hand delivered applications require prior approval. Applications are evaluated based on several key criteria, including the project’s ability to effectively address health problems or disparities, its potential to positively impact priority health needs in Pike County, evidence of collaboration among service providers, ability to leverage additional funding sources, and demonstration of long term sustainability. Funding decisions are communicated to applicants no later than October 30 each year, providing a clear timeline from application to award notification. The grant operates on an annual cycle, with recurring opportunities for organizations to apply and refine their proposals in subsequent years.

Focus on demonstrating measurable impact on Pike County health needs emphasize collaboration sustainability and ability to leverage additional funding sources