Humana Foundation Launching 2019 Louisville-based Community Relations Initiative

Originally Published by Humana.

The Humana Foundation, philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. for the past 38 years, has announced the details of its 2019 Community Relations initiative in Louisville. Through this initiative, the Humana Foundation awarded $2.4 million to Louisville-area organizations in 2018, with slightly more than $1 million of that in grants of $25,000, $50,000 or $100,000.


 

For 2019, the program has been revised to reflect learnings from our inaugural initiative in 2018:

The application period will begin on January 24 and conclude on February 11, with grants announced in April 2019.
In an effort to encourage collaboration among nonprofits, grassroots organizations, and a multitude of other sectors, the Humana Foundation intends to fund as many collaborative efforts as possible with joint applications from two or more organizations.
Grants will be for $100,000, $50,000, or $25,000, with collaborators sharing funds they receive.

Individual organizations will still be able to apply for the grants, and may still receive grants, depending on the quality of all applications received.

“Our first year of this Community Relations initiative in 2018 went very well; more than 170 Louisville-area organizations applied for grants, and we were able to award 32 grants,” said Walter D. Woods, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “That being said, we are looking forward to encouraging collaboration in the nonprofit community with this year’s approach to funding. The 2019 program also aligns well with our strategy which emphasizes co-creation in communities, where leadership, culture and systems work to improve well-being for all.”

Selection criteria

The program in 2019 will fund initiatives that address social determinants of health by providing critical safety net services and/or those that make Louisville a more appealing place to live for all, including:

Nutrition and food security help increase the community’s supply of sustainable, nutritious food sources
Shelter focus on the homeless population, housing for today, and also stable housing for the future
Personal safety focus on people facing danger or harm on a regular basis (domestic abuse, violence, unsafe home environments)
Health care services meeting the health care needs of those who don’t have regular access (e.g. those without insurance or who are under-insured, helping people access/afford medication/treatment)
Built and natural environment focus on improving both our physical environments (e.g. improved lighting, enhancements to sidewalks to make them more accessible, etc.) and the natural environment (e.g. tree planting, beautification, support of parks)
Arts and culture focus on organizations enriching our community’s well-being through arts and culture
Education and early childhood development focus on helping people develop their cognitive, social, and linguistic skills

Special consideration will go to those applications that:
o Propose initiatives that require collaboration across two or more organizations, such as multiple nonprofit organizations, government organizations, academic institutions, etc.
o Propose initiatives with a strong focus on inclusion, diversity, equity, and belonging, breaking down barriers that keep all Louisville citizens from engaging the many services and opportunities our city has to offer. This includes working to make individuals in marginalized populations feel more included, connected and welcome in our community.

Organizations interested in applying for one of these grants will do so from Thursday, January 24, through Monday, February 11. The Humana Foundation expects to announce the recipients of the grants in April. Interested organizations may access the online application here. Once again in 2019, Humana employees in Louisville will have an opportunity to help the Humana Foundation decide where the grants will go, through an employee vote.

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