Florida Blue Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This funder makes grants for health equity, mental health and food security in Florida. It is based in Jacksonville and has different deadlines for the various grant programs.
IP TAKE: Here is a health insurance funder whose support goes far beyond health. Nonprofits outside health should look into their “Build Healthy, Strong Communities” focus.
Despite it’s reach, the foundation has a sparse presence on it’s corporate sister’s website. However, it’s accessible nonetheless and offers a way of applying for a grant through it’s website portal. There are also corporate contributions available here on a limited basis and are also available for organizations seeking to make grants for the arts, disabilities, education and economic stability as they relate to health. Corporate contributions may also go towards fundraising events like galas.
This is not a grassroots or even mid-sized Florida health funder. Florida Blue likes to build coalitions with large, established organizations that include other health systems, hospitals and large community foundations that have the capacity to scale projects, amplifying both reach and impact in the communities Florida Blue ultimately seeks to serve. Perhaps in the future this might change, but Florida Blue seems to like to keep things simple by investing in organizations with large reach rather than funding scrappy, local outfits that deliver direct services. Florida Blue supports boosting the capacity of programs believed to have a lasting impact, rather than approaches that simply serve a high number of people. It funds programs that address the health needs of minority and low-income groups. This often involves funding for local health clinics, programs for the uninsured, and public health outreach efforts.
Funding is very competitive here as many programs offer funding for up to four years, which leaves little room for newcomers. If you are a medium or smaller-sized organizations, your best bet at getting funding here is to partner with a larger organization, build a coalition, and approach Florida Blue as a team. This is a reasonably responsive funder - if you’re big enough to partner with them.
PROFILE: The Florida Blue Foundation, headquartered in Jacksonville, is a health insurance funder affiliated with Florida Blue, Florida’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield company. Founded in 2001 to address critical health issues in Florida, the Florida Blue Foundation seeks “to help people and communities achieve better health.” It is a separate entity from the insurance company and also the trade name of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation. The foundation makes grants for Health Equity, Food Security and Mental Health.
Grants for Health, Mental Health and Food Security
Previously, the Florida Blue Foundation focused on making grants for education, the arts and culture and community development, as well as health solutions, but it has since expanded it’s role in Florida. While the foundation has separate grant programs, each focuses on the health and wellbeing of Floridians in some capacity. It’s corporate affiliations offers the foundation the ability to partner with established, large organizations throughout Florida to expand it’s reach.
Health Equity grants work to “ensure that families and community members have both the access and opportunity to attain full health potential and are not disadvantaged due to environmental, economic, and/or social circumstance.” In the past, Florida Blue has partnered with Orlando Health, United Way of Broward County, and Moffitt Cancer Center through a combined $2.5 million Health Equity Train-the-Trainer Grant to create a “train-the-trainer program that recruits health care providers working in care facilities and health-related organizations throughout the state who will be responsible to then train others at their organizations and providers throughout their communities.” Florida Blue also has Healthy Communities grants and Sapphire Awards, which “honor programs, organizations, and individuals that have demonstrated excellence and innovation in addressing community health issues. Since 2005, a total of 130 Sapphire Awards have been presented totaling more than $6.3 million.”
Mental Health grants work to “advance mental well-being for families and community members to mitigate the stressors associated with issues that often impact entire families and/or communities.” This program also builds coalitions related to Floridian mental health as through a recent partnership between Florida Blue and the Florida Blue Foundation, with the Project Opioid, which “coordinated with the most established regional business development boards to create collaboratives in Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami” in order to “ “reduce opioid overdoses and overdose deaths by 50% by 2024.”
Food Security grants, believing that ‘food is medicine,’ intend to “help mitigate associated costly issues, which can be detrimental to health, development and well-being.” A partnership between Florida Blue and the Florida Blue Foundation have longtime partners Feeding Florida, works to help to “provide aid to Floridians across the state through multiple key programs and initiatives.” This program was instrumental to keeping many Floridians fed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Important Grant Details:
Grants range from a few hundred thousand to millions of dollars, often to coalitions of organizations. General questions for the foundation can be directed to the staff at floridabluefoundation@floridablue.com or communityrelations@floridablue.com. The staff may also be contacted at 1-800-477-3736, ext.63215.
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