UCare Foundation

Creating healthy communities and improving lives

Since 1998, the UCare Foundation has improved the lives of UCare members and their communities through grants that address urgent community health needs. We focus grant-making on initiatives that improve the health of underserved individuals — including seniors, people with disabilities, children and families across Minnesota. The UCare Foundation funds high-impact services, education, community outreach and research addressing health equity, social drivers and access barriers.

Championing the UCare mission

The UCare Foundation directly supports the UCare mission to improve the health of our members through innovative services and partnerships across communities. Grant-seeking organizations should consider if their mission and activities match the UCare Foundation’s mission and guidelines.

Team poses with side walk chalk at Pillsbury Elementary School

Adult and child hula hoop at Pillsbury Elementary School

Getting onboard the Twin City Mobile Market

“These grant funds have allowed clinics to reach more than 19,300 patients and families. Thanks to these additional outreach efforts, made possible by the grant from UCare, many of these families may have avoided gaps in health care coverage.”

- Children’s Health Network

“The funding from UCare helped us with catalyzing the opportunities for a profound collective impact across so many domains.”

- Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization (CAIRO)

“UCare’s generous support of ‘B4Stage4’ approach to mental health has helped ensure that your members have an open door to resources and support that can help prevent mental health concerns, avoid crises and minimize use of crisis, emergency and inpatient care.”

- Mental Health Association of Minnesota

2024 grants

The UCare Foundation will hold three grant campaigns in 2024, each with a single funding priority and announced separately throughout the year. From the Letters of Inquiry (LOI) submitted for each grant priority, the Foundation will invite a limited number of organizations to submit a full application for funding consideration. Click on the links to the right for more details.

Learn more

Funding guidelines

Community grant application process

Past grant recipients

2024 funding opportunities

Nutrition and Food Security in Minnesota — No longer accepting LOI submissions

The UCare Foundation is pleased to announce a grant opportunity focused on increasing food security and nutrition access in communities throughout Minnesota. Proposals should address at least one of the following:

Increase access to healthy, nutritious food
Reduce systemic barriers to nutrition resources for underserved, marginalized, hard-to-reach or at-risk populations, including children
Emphasize appropriate nutrition during pregnancy
Measurable health improvements through dietary interventions for at-risk populations

Minnesota Disabilities Initiatives — No longer accepting LOI submissions

Initiatives designed to improve accessibility in provider settings or quality of life at home through assistive technologies, infrastructure modifications (excludes new construction), assistive equipment/devices/furniture, respite, or other modes of assistance that can make a difference in accessing services and improved health for people with disabilities.

Dental care access in Greater Minnesota — No longer accepting LOI submissions

Proposals improving access to dental services in Greater Minnesota, focusing on wider acceptance of new patients, increased Medicaid acceptance, reduced wait time between scheduling and seeing a provider, missed appointment follow up, teledentistry or through Federally Qualified Health Centers and Critical Access Dental practices.
Dental workforce development initiatives with an emphasis on rural and underserved areas in Greater Minnesota. Projects may include scholarships for dental assistant training and other training supports.
Proposals to increase dental access for people with disabilities such as supports for office/clinic accommodations and onsite dental care in group homes, assisted living or long-term care facilities.