Well Being Trust
/OVERVIEW: The Well Being Trust was created when two health organizations merged and is largely focused on mental health.
IP TAKE: This is a new foundation, but one with a lot of money to spend on one specific cause. For the time being, much of its funding remains in the state of California, although it has begun making some grants nationally. This funder is not accessible at this time, so it does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding.
While the focus so far has been on California, several national grantees exist. Providence St. Joseph Health has 50 hospitals, 829 physician clinics and serves seven states. After this initial $30 million is gone, we wouldn’t be surprised to see funding shift to Alaska, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas or Washington instead. WBT’s mission isn’t a California-specific one, as it has stated its commitment to addressing mental health challenges throughout America. But now is a good time for Northern and Southern California groups to get a foot in the door with this health legacy foundation.
PROFILE: Established in 2016, the Well Being Trust is a foundation that was created when Providence Health and Services and St. Joseph Health came together to form Providence St. Joseph Health. The Well Being Trust was initially called the Institute for Mental Health and Wellness, and it began with a seed endowment of $100 million. From 2017 to 2019, funding focused on the state of California, but beginning in 2020, the fund expanded its funding to other areas of the U.S. Maintaining a vision of broad mental, emotional and spiritual wellness in the U.S., the Wellness Trust currently makes grants for people, patients and communities.
Grants for Mental Health and Public Health
The Well Being Trust supports health and mental health through all three of its grantmaking focus areas. The people focus area was established during the COVID-19 crisis for employees and other professionals affiliated with the Providence St. Joseph’s Health system, many of whom experienced mental health issues during the pandemic. The initiative now functions as a means of providing services and wellness tools to health and mental health professionals, as well as professional development programs that address mental health screening and treatment. Grantmaking for patients focuses on improving “our nation’s mental health and well-being by expanding timely access to care and improving quality mental health and substance use care.” In addition to treatment and care, support has also gone to initiatives for sharing data, technological innovations and policy. The communities program, meanwhile, works to provide preventative mental health care and “primary interventions” to communities within Providence St. Joseph’s geographic areas of operation. Priorities of this program have included, youth and families, substance abuse treatment and “anti-stigma efforts” surrounding mental health.
Important Grant Details:
Lately, the foundation provides over $8.5 million in grants per cycle. See the funder’s news and press releases to learn about recent giving. Grantmaking has been focused on both Northern California and Southern California, but the fund plans to broaden its geographic scope in the coming years.
The Well Being Trust does not accept or review unsolicited applications for funding, working instead with preselected partners toward shared goals. To contact the staff, fill out the online form and sign up to receive email updates from the organization.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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