EHF has joined the BUILD Health Challenge to offer regional funding for the national awards program designed to support community collaborations working to give everyone a fair chance to be healthy.
Call for Applications: See how your organization or community can apply for BUILD Health funding
Health isn’t made in a doctor’s office. It’s the result of the air you breathe, the food you eat, and the places you live, work, and play. The BUILD Health Challenge supports Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local, and Data-driven community health interventions in low-income, urban neighborhoods.
“We’re excited to join this national effort that focuses on health, not just healthcare,” said Elena Marks, EHF’s president and CEO. “We talk every day about how most healthcare spending in the U.S. is dedicated to direct medical services. This is an opportunity for Texas partners to work together to address the root causes of poor health by focusing on the social challenges that determine the health of so many in our communities.”
The BUILD Health Challenge funds partnerships that work to improve communities that are adversely affected by factors like housing, job opportunities, early childhood development, educational attainment, air and water quality, transportation and public safety. EHF is providing funding to support one project within EHF’s 57-county service area.
Founded by Advisory Board, the de Beaumont Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the BUILD Health Challenge strengthens partnerships between local nonprofit organizations, hospitals and health systems, and local health departments to improve the health and well-being of their communities.
Register for an upcoming BUILD Health webinar to learn more about how to apply for funding
Eighteen community partnerships became part of the BUILD Health Challenge in 2015. Seven implementation awardees received $250,000 over two years to strengthen existing partnerships, accelerate more advanced health data and analytics initiatives, and expand their impact. Eleven planning awardees received $75,000 to kick-start new projects addressing specific health challenges with a committed group of community partners. The partnering health system(s) on each implementation award have also committed a 1:1 match with financial and in-kind support to advance the partnership’s goals.
The BUILD awardees have worked on projects such as building sustainable food systems, repairing houses, addressing safety and violence, and preventing lead poisoning. In the 2017 round of funding, the BUILD Health Challenge will broaden its impact. The program will continue supporting the partnerships needed to forge meaningful improvement in the health of communities, expanding the research and knowledge base for community health interventions, and distilling learnings into best practices that others can use.
EHF joins Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (Durham); Mid-Iowa Health Foundation (West Des Moines); New Jersey Health Initiatives (Camden); and Telligen Community Initiative (West Des Moines, IA) as new funders to this growing initiative.
To learn more about eligibility requirements, view the call for applications, and register for informational webinars, visit buildhealthchallenge.org/application and note these key dates:
- Monday, Dec. 12 – Informational webinar for applicants
- Thursday, Dec. 15 – Informational webinar for applicants
- Tuesday, Jan. 10 – Round 1 application period begins
- Tuesday, Jan. 31 – Informational webinar for applicants
- Tuesday, Feb. 21 — Round 1 application due
For more information, visit BUILD Health Challenge or follow at @BUILD_Health.
