The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) Foundation’s Special Initiatives grant program provides organizations with a one-time grant of up to $50,000 to pilot or launch a new project over a one-year period.
Donor Name: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/26/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
Special Initiative grants are intended to fund projects which empower communities to advance health equity at the community level. Projects should positively impact the health or health care related needs of those Massachusetts residents who have been economically, socially, culturally, or racially marginalized. If successful, it is hoped that these projects can be sustained, scaled, and potentially, replicated.
Special Initiatives grant proposals must align with one or more of the Foundation’s three focus areas: access to health coverage and care, access to behavioral health services, and elimination of structural racism and racial inequities in health. Projects must serve the Foundation’s populations of focus: Massachusetts residents who are economically, racially, culturally, or socially marginalized.
Eligibility Criteria
- Organizations with a 501c (3) tax-exempt nonprofit designation from the IRS or operate under the fiscal sponsorship of a tax-exempt nonprofit. The applicant organization must be incorporated in Massachusetts.
- Organizations that primarily serve people who have been socially, economically, culturally, or racially marginalized.
- Organizations proposing projects that align with the mission and focus areas of the Foundation.
- The Foundation is especially interested in funding organizations that are people of color-led and/or whose leadership reflects the demographic composition and lived experiences of the communities they serve.
The following will not be funded:
The Foundation does not accept applications from religious institutions, for-profit institutions, or individuals. Also, the Foundation does not fund proposals to support ongoing operating costs, such as direct medical or clinical care, long-term care, hospice, and palliative care. The Foundation does not fund projects focused on addressing one specific disease or medical condition. The Foundation also will not fund events, conference sponsorships or capital expansion projects.
In addition, the Special Initiatives grant program will not support:
- Expansion or ongoing support of an existing program – this includes taking a proven project to a new location.
- Stand-alone staff training that is not an integral part of the proposed program.
- Marketing and outreach supplies (such as shirts, water bottles) and basic needs items (food, hygiene items, rental assistance).
- Salaries for new positions with no evidence of sustainability beyond the grant period.
- Capital expenses (e.g., building materials, vehicles).
For more information, visit BCBSMAF.
