Past grant recipients

Health equity

Bountiful Basket Food Shelf’s partnership with Mi C.A.S.A. supports a bi-monthly evening food assistance program addressing food insecurity for the Latino community

Comunidades Organizando el Poder y la Accion Latina-COPAL Education Fund is a holistic approach of providing direct health care and career services, while simultaneously advancing campaigns that increase Latine families’ and workers’ access to stable housing, employment with benefits and healthcare in Greater Minnesota

Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming’s Expanding and Evaluating Integrated Holistic Health Services for American Indian Birthing People using a culturally relevant model of care that incorporates traditional Indigenous practices in Northwest Minnesota

Route 1’s Increasing Food Access within Communities of Color in the Twin Cities program supports, encourages and empowers BIPOC emerging farmers to run a successful farm enterprise and helps them grow nutritious, regeneratively grown food for their community to benefit their health and financial outcomes

Steps of Strategy’s Tenant Wellness Coordination program conducts outreach and engages participants in groups and services to increase stability of tenants

Tiwahe Foundation’s Reimagining Indigenous Leadership initiative contributes to healing the root causes of American Indian health disparities by meaningfully building capacity for the Oyate Leadership Network, making connections and creating new models for Indigenous leadership and shared cultural knowledge across Minnesota

Mental health

Alongside Network’s Wellbeing Groups serve the mental health needs of families with children in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unity (PICU) by utilizing the proven Take a Breath curriculum and other psycho-social supports to families

Bellis’ Always a Mother: Support after Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) program helps women build resiliency by addressing the trauma experienced in receiving a TPR order and building a greater sense of power over their own lives

An Opioid Impact Awareness Initiative from Change the Outcome addresses the public health crisis of the opioid and fentanyl epidemic in addition to the rise in mental health struggles and prevents the unnecessary toll of these often co-occurring disorders on youth

CornerHouse's Rapid Response to Trauma program provides critical mental health care to children to aid in their immediate and long-term ability to heal and overcome the trauma of abuse

Miller-Dwan Foundation’s PM+ five-session therapy is designed for delivery by trusted lay staff at community organizations and was developed and tested by the World Health Organization

Minneapolis Health Department partners with Volunteers of America, Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, Neighborhood HealthSource (NHS) and Minnesota Recovery Connection (MRC) on a pilot program for Substance Use Disorder Peer Support Groups for Minneapolis Public Housing residents in six high rises

Nexus Family Healing aims to launch a new Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) to address critical unmet mental health needs of Minnesota youth. Funding will support child-specific items and clinical training

Open Path Resources will expand its Mental Health Through Community Influencers program to follow up with patients and families with care after discharge to improve cultural understanding and climate of care for patients by organizing community trainings and conversations for improved mental health care

Expand People Incorporated’s Community Police Partnership program, which embeds mental health workers in more community police departments in the Twin Cities

RECLAIM's Mental Health Care for Queer and Trans Youth in Greater Minnesota pilot project expands access to affirming mental health care in to places where these resources currently don’t exist

Preventive health

Annex Teen Clinic Healthy Pregnancy for Young People through Early Identification and Increased Sexual Health Access ensures youth at disproportionate risk for unintentional pregnancy can identify a pregnancy earlier in their first trimester and experience a healthy and safe pregnancy and postpartum transition

Supporting Confident Pregnancies and Stable Beginnings by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester aims to reduce maternal mortality and increase family well-being by providing individualized education to pregnant persons on the topics of perinatal mood disorders and postpartum care

Children’s Dental Services expanding culturally targeted, comprehensive oral health care and education to 1,500 Native American and Asian community members across Minnesota, specifically for children, young adults, pregnant women and family members

Epiphany Caring for Life Baby and Maternity Closet provides clients with maternity clothes, baby clothes and baby items (e.g., diapers, baby wipes, formula highchairs, pack n’ play and infant car seats) needed for their children age newborn to 2 years

Hope Dental Clinic's Oral Health Outreach and Services work with community leaders and partner organizations to co-develop and pilot new strategies to expand access to oral health education and services for low-income American Indian and Hmong residents of St. Paul

Life Connections Community Connections: Safe from the Start, a partnership with public health staff and other community agencies, provides families in Central Minnesota with formula, safe sleep and travel equipment/education

New Beginnings Safe Sleep Program aims to help reduce the number of infant deaths due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by providing free educational programs for parents and primary caregivers, free equipment like safe crib and sleep sacks and personal support and follow-up

Ostara Initiative's Minnesota Prison Doula Project supports healthy outcomes through pregnancy and birth support, research, prenatal and parenting education and mental health services promoting healthy outcomes for incarcerated parents and their children

Proof Alliance’s Our Children are Sacred project aims to reduce the impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol in Indian Country by leveraging the wisdom of leaders and elders of tribal communities and treatment programs

Star of the North Maternity Home in Duluth and Hibbing increases staff capacity for connecting mothers to medical and other services that improve their health and the health of their children while moving toward self-sufficiency

The National Service Office for Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) and Child First supports first-time birthing individuals/families experiencing significant economic and racial inequality across 32 counties and two Tribal nations in Minnesota, specifically benefiting nursing quality, education and practice for the 50 NFP MN nurses who implement the program

Way to Grow Great by Eight program supports children ages 0 – 8 from 600 of the most disadvantaged families in Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs and includes home visits, health screenings and health education to improve birth weights and vaccination rates

Quality initiatives

African Community Senior Services provides health insurance renewal assistance for immigrants in the Twin Cities and navigation for the often-complex process, to ensure seniors can continue to access essential health care services and continued coverage

Altru Health Foundation aims to provide Emmi, a health care education platform to improve quality of care and health equity for rural Minnesota counties in its service area through a comprehensive, customizable digital experience with interactive health information in 20 languages

Funding was provided to American Diabetes Association (Minnesota Office) to help offset the costs of camp for campers attending Camp Needlepoint, which provides a powerful and life-changing experience to help improve the lives of children affected by diabetes

Division of Indian Work’s Women of Traditional Birthing (WTB) Program helps low-income, pregnant American Indian women ages 16 and older in the Twin Cities refrain from drinking and using substances while pregnant and includes an aftercare component for additional support

Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota’s (EFMN) for a Latine Community Health Worker to build relationships with health care providers and health and human service organizations and create epilepsy resources and outreach tailored to the Latine community

Franklin Center’s Open the Door program is a culturally responsive initiative aimed at providing behavior therapy to neurodiverse children in the Somali community

Funding for M Health Fairview to expand its Transitions Program with the University of Minnesota’s Medical Center Emergency Department and support high utilizing patients with the goal of avoiding unnecessary emergency room utilization

Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless programming to increase the capacity of basic needs agencies to address homelessness and food insecurity in Minnesota

Saint Luke’s Foundation Pilot Program to Increase Patient Preventative and Follow-Up Compliance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching out to patients via phone, email, text or letter, informing them of upcoming appointments and working with Quality and Case Management to arrange transportation

Southside Community Health Services’ Patient-Centered Diabetes Care to support the implementation and administration of the Diabetes Self-Management Education for patients, Chronic Condition Program's Optimal Diabetes Care Policy and Procedure for staff and support to receive the Diabetes Self-Management Education Accreditation

University of Minnesota Foundation pilot Diabetes Prevention Program Models for Black and Indigenous Women reclaiming traditional ways of knowing and embracing a highly participatory, community-engaged, co-creation process, this project centers on two simplified, culturally relevant diabetes prevention program models (DPPs) for Black and Indigenous women aged 35 and older

Volunteers of America – Minnesota’s Community Health Worker Services within Public Housing forming a bridge toward sustainability for Community Health Worker services within Minneapolis Public Housing Authority Highrise buildings focusing on identifying individuals facing chronic health conditions (primarily diabetes and hypertension), offering long-term individualized services to manage these conditions as well as group education, exercise, and socialization activities

Health equity

Circles of Health & Wellbeing program to empower and inspire immigrant and refugee women to embrace their own health and wellbeing, and improve their and their families’ long-term health and wellbeing

Somali Community Resettlement program in Olmsted County to increase the program’s capacity to serve and provide health care programming to new immigrant seniors, families and individuals

Support for Leap Pediatric and Adolescent Care to begin a pregnant/new parent support program and expand community outreach, collaboration and education in its community experiencing profound health disparities

Loppet Foundation’s Loppet Run365 to support seven competitive running programs for all ages and skill levels

Outreach

Stratis Health’s Culture Care Connection, an online learning and resource center providing leading tools to build skills and knowledge that help health care professionals be responsive to and supportive of the diverse communities they serve

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota's Senior Companion Services assists older adults so they can remain healthy and active in their own homes for as long as possible

Health and racial equity

Circles of Health & Wellbeing program to empower and inspire immigrant and refugee women to embrace their own health and wellbeing and improve their and their families’ long-term health and wellbeing

Minnesota Medical Association Health Equity Project to mitigate bias among physicians and health care professionals and support the adoption of anti-racist cultures among Minnesota health care providers

Somali Community Resettlement program in Olmsted County to increase the program’s capacity to serve and provide health care programming to new immigrant seniors, families and individuals

Senior health

Lutheran Social Service — Senior companion visits, support and advocacy to reduce social isolation for aging neighbors in the Twin Cities, Brainerd and Duluth, plus offering assistance such as transportation to medical/dental appointments and help with errands

Workforce development

Minnesota Hospital Association initiative to address health care staff shortages by developing a standardized roadmap and toolkit of best practices to develop health care organizations’ workforce across the continuum of care

Health equity

Health equity training programs at Children’s Minnesota to educate employees about inclusive and equitable patient care and at Park Nicollet to assist staff with managing bias, identifying social determinants of health and exercising cultural humility

Justice-involved families initiative with Anoka County to reduce negative impacts for children of parents involved with the criminal justice system by offering parenting skills training and school-based support

Housing and wellbeing fund for homeless or at-risk individuals in St. Louis County to reduce barriers and support people in getting housing and support for mental health needs

Twin Cities Mobile Market, a Wilder Foundation program bringing affordable fresh and healthy foods to Twin Cities neighborhoods where there is a scarcity of grocery stores

Immigrant health

Somali Circles of Health & Wellbeing program to support Somali women’s and families’ whole health through customized resources and education around cooking, exercise, nutrition and accessing health care

Portico Healthnet bridge funding to support capacity to offer culturally-competent health care enrollment services in response to community needs

Somali Community Resettlement Services program in Olmsted County to improve the overall health of seniors, adults and children with culturally appropriate care

Mental health

Postpartum depression support group in Duluth offering a safe, supporting space for pregnant and postpartum women to receive connection, education and referrals, and enhanced peer recovery services for pregnant women using substances as part of Hennepin County’s Project Child

Promoting mental health and health equity in Dakota County through funding for school projects addressing substance use, physical activity, nutrition, suicide prevention and first-aid training

Medication Assisted Treatment and mental health services to reduce opioid use and address underlying mental health conditions among underserved and inmate populations in Ramsey County, Scott County and the Washington County Jail

Mental health redesign at Allina Health to bolster suicide prevention, follow up and safety planning for patients admitted with suicidal urges

Aging

Lutheran Social Service Senior Companion Services providing companionship to UCare Medicare members, and funding to assess impact of the program on member loneliness, health and independence

Thriving Minds and Healthy Aging initiative in Carlton County to increase community awareness, empower individuals living with dementia and support caregivers