Our Spring 2012 Responsive Grant Program will open on March 1, 2012 at 8:00 a.m. PST. 

Applications will be due at 5:00 p.m. PST on Friday, March 30, 2012.

For more information about this program please visit our Responsive Grants Page here: http://empirehealthfoundation.org/apply-grants.

* Responsive Grant Awards announced

Our appreciation to all of the fantastic organizations and agencies working in our seven counties to improve health and wellness. The foundation received a record number of applications this round, and the strength of the applications continues to rise.  32 organizations have been awarded grants totaling nearly $400,000.  The grants represent a wide range of issue areas, geography, and a range of underserved communities such as the tribes.  As always, we encourage of our applicants to engage our team.

* HSSA and EHF Strategic Planning for investing in Medical Research

The Health Sciences and Services Authority (HSSA) and EHF have partnered to develop a strategic funding plan for medical research investments in the region, with a key objective of positioning the region for a significant increase in national research funding. We're fortunate to have not only HSSA, but key team members of WSU/UW/WWAMI involved in our core team.  The consultants are finalizing a round of 25 stakeholder interviews and have begun to formulate a set of draft strategies as the next step towards developing a strategic investment plan.

*  Collaborating with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation initiative on Domestic Violence

To further the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Pacific Northwest Initiative goals to reduce and prevent both family violence and family homelessness, the Foundation is partnering with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) with the goal of increasing access to and resources for permanent housing for domestic violence survivors. The goal is to create a replicable service model that integrates DV and housing services, while responding to the unique needs of DV survivors.  After a very successful first phase, the EHF team is grateful to the Gates Foundation program team for inviting us to collaborate with them on the second phase.  We are excited that three of four applicants serving our region who submitted a letter of intent, have been invited to submit a full proposal. Grants are for up to $250,000 over three years.  

*  Grantmakers in Health Grant Writing Assistance award 

In 2011, EHF awarded a $30,000 grant to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to build grant writing capacity in the department to more effectively pursue national funding opportunities created by the Affordable Care Act.  The award was made possible in large part by a matching grant from Grantmakers in Health in sponsorship by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  EHF and DOH collaborated on preparing the matching grant proposal, which DOH successfully utilized to land a Community Transformation Grant of ~$3.25 million.   This year in 2012, EHF was again awarded an additional GIH matching grant with which the foundation will partner with the HCA and other state agencies in several new exciting opportunities.