In 2015, EHF finished its first complete year of grant-making. We learned new and valuable lessons about our online application process, working with new grant partners, and new ways to make more investments in transformational organizations, programs and projects.
EHF 2015 Grants Summary:
73 grants funded for a total of $11.5 million
Grants funded by Strategy:
- Comprehensive, integrated primary care: 25 grants/$4.5 million
- Increased access to care: 15 grants/$1.9 million
- Support mental health and wellness: 18 grants/$2.4 million
- Support Capacity building: 10 grants/$1.8 million
- Enhance early childhood development: 3 grants/$400,000
- Facilitate healthy planning: 2 grants/$400,000
In 2015, our smallest competitive award was $5,000 and our largest was $1,000,000. The median award was $100,000, and the average was $160,000.
During 2016, EHF expects to award approximately $17 million in competitive grants. We plan to increase our grant-making budget again in 2017.
We’ve recently updated our Grant Guidelines and FAQs for 2016. As in 2015, there are no application deadlines, and applicants may submit their proposals anytime. Each application is reviewed and analyzed by a program officer and Foundation leadership.
“Because our approach is different than many other foundations, we encourage organizations to talk to us in advance of submitting an online application,” said Jo Carcedo, EHF’s VP for Grants. “We encourage these conversations so that we can provide help in advance. For applicants aligned with EHF’s vision, goals and strategies, these conversations help them write the best applications possible. For those clearly not aligned with our work, it’s a candid and prompt way to learn why their current applications would likely be declined.”
Final decisions regarding grant-making are approved by EHF’s Board of Directors. In 2016, the Board is expected to review grants at meetings in February, June, September and December. Applications should be submitted at least 90 days prior to a given Board meeting to increase the probability that a request will be considered at that meeting. However, submitting an application in that timeframe will not guarantee review at the next Board meeting. An applicant’s assigned program officer will be able to give updates on the status of requests throughout the process.
