What Has the San Angelo Health Foundation Been Supporting Lately?
/ Alyssa OchsIt’s been a little while since we caught up with the San Angelo Health Foundation, a Texas grantmaker that continues to break new ground in terms of what it means to be a health funder. In each grant cycle, this foundation only awards about four or five grants. This makes it easy to see what the current local needs are in the Concho Valley and how this funder’s focus has shifted.
Earlier this spring, SAHF awarded $178,634 in grants to four nonprofits in the area. The largest grant of $75,723 went to the Schleicher County Wellness Center to upgrade and improve exercise equipment and flooring at the facility. Next up, a $50,000 grant went to San Angelo Lions Charities, to renovate the Dunbar Library, which was built during the segregation era of the 1930s for African Americans and has historic significance.
Another new SAHF grant went to West Texas Counseling & Guidance for $46,705 to hire and train therapists, with special consideration for suicide survivors and veterans. The final grant we’ll mention here went to Fairview Accelerated School for $6,206 to purchase infant simulators designed to teach parenting skills to students in alternative and disciplinary education programs.
So once again, SAHF reminds us that health funding isn’t all about paying for hospitals and clinics. There are tons of ways to support healthy communities, and these often cross over into broader issue areas, as well.
Local facility improvements have emerged as a big theme for the foundation, and this is often where its biggest expenditures are. Since the geographic area of focus is so narrow, it is very common for SAHF to continue supporting the same organizations year after year for different projects. Some of the biggest “repeat offenders” are the City of San Angelo, Angelo State University, the Alcohol & Drug Abuse Council for the Concho Valley, the Adult Enrichment Center, Esperanza Health and Dental Centers, and the West Texas Rehabilitation Center.
Since SAHF was first established 20 years ago, at least 202 organizations and 649 projects have received support from this foundation. You can view a full list of past grantees here and review the application guidelines to learn more about applying in a future grant cycle. As always, the city of San Angelo and the Concho Valley are the primary focus regions with this funder.
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