Empire Health Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Empire Health Foundation supports health equity through obesity, addition, children and youth, foster care, incarceration, homelessness, and physician shortage efforts in Eastern Washington.
FUNDING AREAS: Health equity, obesity, addition, children and youth, foster care, incarceration, homelessness, physician shortage
IP TAKE: This funder has recently shifted its focus to go “all in” on health equity and is particularly interested in fighting obesity and addiction.
PROFILE: Established in 2008, the Empire Health Foundation (EHF) is a healthy legacy funder based in Spokane, Washington. It formed from the sale of Deaconess and Valley Medical, which was a nonprofit hospital system in Spokane. The funder “invests in ideas and organizations that improve access, education, research and policy to result in a measurably healthier region.” EHF funds local health equity efforts that include obesity, addition, children and youth, foster care, incarceration, homelessness, and to address the region’s physician shortage.
The Empire Health Foundation has four focus areas to help Eastern Washington transition into the healthiest region of the state. The funder’s improving health outcomes focus involves childhood obesity and also reducing health disparities among elders. Its strengthening health systems focus targets affordable and accessible care, while its growing physician supply focus addresses the physician shortage in the region. EHF is also trying to boost nonprofits’ capacity in Eastern Washington by doing outreach to secure funding from donors outside the region. Preventative programs are often favored by EHF. Subsidiary organizations of EHF are the Family Impact Network, Better Health Together, and Spokane Teaching Health Consortium. In the past, the foundation provided support through a general and rural aging responsive grants program.
Grants range between about $5,000 and $25,000. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent financial information. Grantmaking prioritizes Eastern Washington, including the counties of Ferry, Stevens, Pend Orielle, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, and Whitman. It also supports the Colville Confederated, Spokane, and Kalispel tribal regions in the state. Past local grantees include the Spokane Eastside Reunion Association and Rising Strong.
This foundation does not typically accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits and often funds pre-selected groups instead. EHF does not provide application forms or grant deadlines on its website. Direct general questions to the staff at 509-315-1323 or via online form.
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