Elevance Health Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Elevance Health Foundation (formerly known as the Anthem Foundation) is dedicated to the health and wellness of all Americans and focuses on maternal and infant health, substance abuse, healthy diets, and community and disaster relief.
IP TAKE: The Foundation believes in “putting science behind the art of grant making” and takes a holistic, whole-body approach to healthcare. Grantseekers will want to remember that it centers health equity in all of its grantmaking. As IP has reported here, it has narrowed its grantmaking focus relatively recently, so returning grantseekers will want to take another look at its priorities.
This is an accessible funder with a clear application process and deadlines that makes it easy for grantseekers to reach out with questions. Keep an eye on the website as these may change annually. And while the Associates in Action program relies on employee donations, it may be another area of opportunity for grantseekers.
PROFILE: The Elevance Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the health insurance giant Elevance Health, wand it seeks “to improve the health of humanity by addressing health inequalities and strengthening our communities in America.” It has recently reimagined and reevaluated its grantmaking strategy and focuses on “partnerships and programs that aid the health of the socially vulnerable.” Its program areas currently include Improving Maternal and Child Health, Encouraging Food as Medicine, Reducing Substance Abuse Disorder, and Supporting Community Resilience and Disaster Relief. Elevance Health centers healthcare and wellness in all of its grantmaking.
Grants for Women and Girls
Elevance Health Foundation refined grantmaking strategy prioritizes support for Maternal and Child Health programs, which, according to foundation President Lance Chrisman, is focused on “reducing preterm birth rates and reducing maternal morbidity and mortality rates, and also reducing primary C-section rates.”
Previous grantees include Urban Baby Beginnings, which provides health, doula and lactation care for pregnant and postpartum women, Creating Healthier Communities, which is developing a screening tool that can identify stress and other social drivers of health that are predictors of preterm birth, and a program at the Morehouse School of Medicine that promotes enhanced communication, bias reduction and improved maternal care in marginalized communities.
Grants for Food Systems
The Encouraging Food as Medicine program operates under the belief that food is medicine and focuses “on programs that demonstrate improved health outcomes for individuals with chronic conditions and that create greater access to healthy and nutritious food by improving affordable, healthy food options among food-insecure populations.” As with its other programs, the Foundation prioritizes funding for groups and organizations that support equity in healthcare and are part of the communities they serve.
Previous food as medicine grantees include 18 Reasons’ Nourishing Pregnancy program, which works to tackle food insecurity, promote healthy nutrition and build community for pregnant and new mothers. Others include Local Initiatives Support Corporation Indianapolis, Fit4Kids, Foundation for California Community Colleges, and Feeding America’s Food as Medicine program, which received a $14.1 million grant.
Grants for Public Health and Access
The Reducing Substance Abuse Disorder program supports groups and programs that address mental health, specifically those focused on substance use disorder, which the Foundation identifies as a mental disorder that “affects a person’s brain and behavior, leading to the inability to control the use of substances such as legal or illegal drugs, alcohol, and medications.” Groups that receive funding through this program will be equity focused and work toward prevention and early intervention of risk factors that lead to substance use disorders, improved access and quality of treatment of those disorders, and community support to promote lifelong recovery.
Past grantees include Shatterproof, a national organization that provides access to addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery services, and a program at Youth First, Inc. which puts social workers in schools across Indiana. Another grantees, the Chris Atwood Foundation, seeks to help individuals in northern Virginia and the D.C. metro area transition from substance abuse treatment to safe and supportive housing.
Grants for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief
Elevance Health’s Community Resiliency & Disaster Relief program seeks to “improve the health of humanity and advance equity,” strengthen communities, and reduce the impact of natural disasters through strategic initiatives that support community resiliency. Partners in this program include American Red Cross, Direct Relief, Americares, and Elevance Health’s own Associate Engagement Programs, which are associate-led relief efforts.
Unlike the other three core programs, this requires new grantseekers to email the foundation at foundation@elevancehealth.com with general inquiries and to request a grant application.
Other opportunities:
Through the Associations in Action program, Elevance Health associates contribute their “time, energy, and resources to the communities where they live and work.” This program offers a wide variety of opportunities located through EH employees — from matching employees’ donations to employee volunteerism.
Important Grant Details:
Elevance Health Foundation’s grants generally range from $25,000 to $150,000. It has awarded over $300 million in grants since its founding.
The foundation no longer has an open application process and instead issues RFPs online throughout its annual funding cycles. New grantseekers can look over the grant criteria and application process here before applying. Each program has its own application deadline and request for proposal, so grantseekers will want to keep an eye on the foundation website for the most current details.
Contact the Foundation with general questions or inquiries.
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