The Healthcare and Health Promotion Synergy Initiative (“Synergy Initiative”) provides funding for partnership-based projects that target significant health issues, especially inequities and disparities, in Central Massachusetts with integrated, comprehensive strategies with an end goal of systems or policy change.
Donor Name: The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts
State: Massachusetts
County: Worcester County (MA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/12/2023
Size of the Grant: $2 million
Grant Duration: 5 years
Details:
The Foundation seeks to support projects that aim to positively impact the most vulnerable residents of Central Massachusetts.
Key criteria for successful Synergy Initiative projects include:
- Significance of Issue – Evidence that the proposal addresses a significant health issue, in terms of both scope and seriousness, as well as a key criterion of addressing the historically underserved.
- Level of Integration & Collaboration – The degree to which the proposed approach is integrated, interdisciplinary, and comprehensive, involving a variety of strategies. Where an individual organization lacks the resources to mount such an integrated program itself, it will be expected to partner with other agencies with complementary goals and capacities, and to demonstrate that the collaboration proposed is serious and effective, rather than creating duplicative programming. Public and/or private co-funding of proposals is welcomed.
- Soundness of Approach – The degree to which the proposed approach to the identified issue is based on an in-depth understanding of the issue and the principal factors affecting it; knowledge of “best practices” developed by others working on the same issues; and a strong connection with the community in which the proposed program or intervention will be implemented, including involvement of people impacted by the proposed project in proposal planning, piloting, and implementation, when appropriate.
- Quality of Evaluation Plan – The soundness of the proposed strategy for assessing the effectiveness and impact of the approach being taken by the applicant, and how lessons learned will be applied and used throughout the project.
- Potential for Impact – Evidence that the applicant organization has the capacity and capability to implement the proposed program effectively to achieve its intended impact.
- Capacity for Enduring Systems Change – The potential for the approach proposed by the applicant to bring about long-term changes in the systems, policies, and practices that directly influence the conditions affecting the issue addressed.
- Potential for Replication – The likelihood that the approach proposed, if proven effective, can be replicated elsewhere.
- Exit Strategy – The appropriateness of the plan proposed by the applicant for dealing with the eventual phasing out of Foundation funding.
Funding Information
Projects generally progress from planning to pilot to full implementation over the course of five years, typically, with grants awarded on an annual basis. Project budgets vary for each phase, and total grant amounts average approximately $2 million per project over the grant period.
Eligibility Criteria
Requests are considered from non-profit organizations with a tax-exempt 501(c) (3) designation as determined by the Internal Revenue Service, and/or those operating under a fiscal sponsor with verified tax-exempt status, or government entities (e.g. municipalities, school districts). The organization or proposed project must also fall within the Foundation’s geographic service area which consists of 81 cities and towns in the Central Massachusetts region in and around Worcester County.
For more information, visit HFCM.
