Deadline: 20-Jul-23
The Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF) is inviting applications to support community based clinics and community based organizations to embrace the importance of early childhood brain development and to prioritize primary prevention work with low-income families beginning before or at the birth of their children.
EHF’s Grant Guidance for 2023 expresses the core beliefs and explains the commitment of the philanthropic giving to outcomes-focused approaches to improve health, not just health care in Texas. Funding opportunities will continue in support of the current goals, outcomes and strategies. EHF will also provide funding support for grantees interested in developing capacity and competency related to health equity.
All grants funded by EHF must be implemented within the 57- county service area of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
Goal 3: Build the foundation for a healthy life by investing in early childhood brain development.
Outcome 4: Health systems and families implement best practices for early childhood brain development during pregnancy and the first 1,000 days of life.
Strategy 8: Building Brain Development – Providers: Support early childhood brain development.
Strategy 9: Building Brain Development – Community Organizations: Community – based organizations.
Priorities
- Whether in the clinic or community setting, they prioritize work that:
- Provides or connects expectant people and primary caregivers of children in the first three years of life to programs and resources that support “serve and return” knowledge and skills and other practices that lead to safe, stable, and nurturing relationships between caregiver and child
- Identifies instances of perinatal mood disorder or other behavioral health concerns such as substance use disorders in expectant people and primary caregivers of infants and toddlers and provides direct support or effective referrals to equitably address these concerns
- Uses evidence-based or promising screening and/or evaluation tools to observe or measure the health of the caregiver and child relationship
- Advances policy or other systems-change efforts that seek to scale and sustain early childhood brain development interventions or supports, including public health programs for families who are pregnant or parenting infants and toddlers, to ultimately achieve greater health equity across generations
- As EHF continues work in this area, they are mindful of the many systems that impact families and their young children. While there is excellent and essential work taking place in the pre-K, formal and informal group child care/early education, and child protection settings, EHF is not currently investing in those systems.
Types of Grants Awarded
- EHF provides eligible applicants with the following types of competitive investments:
- Restricted grants support specific activities carried out over a defined period and/or are planned in-order-to achieve a specific result or goal
- Unrestricted grants support an organization’s day-to-day expenses in furtherance of its mission rather than specific projects or programs; may also include support to build organizational infrastructure
- EHF also provides funding solicited by invitation only that include:
- Small grants to provide up to $10,000 in support of the immediate short-term needs of an organization to address a specific organizational development or emergency issue
- Request for Proposals when issued by the EHF to support specific initiatives of interest to the Foundation.
- EHF will consider grants for capital support on a limited basis after consultation and by invitation only.
Use of EHF Funds
- EHF funds can be used for technical assistance, planning, demonstration projects, matching funds (as long as the purpose of the match aligns with EHF’s goals and strategies), program evaluation, and general operating. All grants funded by EHF must be implemented within the 57-county service area of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
Eligibility Criteria
- Tax Exempt Status
- EHF makes grants to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations whose work relates directly to EHF’s vision, goals and strategies. To be eligible, an organization must have received an Internal Revenue Service Determination Letter indicating that it is an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) or 170(c) and is not a private foundation within the meaning of Section 509(a) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Code.
- Foundation Service Area
- EHF provides grants to organizations that serve vulnerable populations within the 57-county service area of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
- Religious Affiliation
- While EHF exists as a supporting organization of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, they do not require an applicant’s affiliation with the Episcopal Church or any other faith community in-order-to be considered for funding.
- Anti-discrimination
- EHF is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities. EHF does not support discrimination by the affiliates based on any of the grounds mentioned below. Any acts or practices deemed to be discriminatory are grounds for refusal to partner with potential affiliates or termination of pre-existing relationships.
- Age
- Ancestry
- Citizenship
- Disability (including mental, physical, developmental or learning disabilities)
- Employment status
- Gender (including pregnancy and breastfeeding)
- Gender expression
- Gender identity
- Marital status (including married, single, widowed, divorced, separated or living in a conjugal relationship outside of marriage, whether in a same-sex or opposite-sex relationship)
- National or ethnic origin
- Race
- Religion
- Sexual orientation
- Socioeconomic status
- Association or relationship with a person identified by one of the above grounds.
- EHF is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, can contribute fully and have equal opportunities. EHF does not support discrimination by the affiliates based on any of the grounds mentioned below. Any acts or practices deemed to be discriminatory are grounds for refusal to partner with potential affiliates or termination of pre-existing relationships.
What EHF does not fund?
- Grants to individuals
- Grants for school-based intervention except for school-based clinics providing comprehensive primary care
- Grants for capital projects except by invitation from EHF
- Grants for scholarships
- Grants for religious purposes
- Grants to public agencies for routine service provision
- Grants to retire operating deficits or debt
- Grants for parks, playgrounds, or camps
- Grants to provide services restricted to individuals living in a specific residential facility
- Grants for acute care, inpatient care or long-term care institutions
- Grants for emergency assistance organizations for routine service provision
- Grants for biomedical research
- Grants for child care, early education or after-school programs for routine service provision
- Grants to schools for core educational purposes
- Grants for disease- or condition-specific organizations for program, research or advocacy work
- Grants to underwrite conferences, luncheons, galas or fundraisers, or special events such as health fairs
- Direct or indirect support for candidates, political parties, 501(c)(4) organizations or Political Action Committees.
For more information, visit EHF.
