Spring 2018 Grant Guidelines Important Information The MetroWest Health Foundation is completing work on a new strategic plan that will guide our grantmaking and program activities for the foreseeable future. Although the new strategic plan has yet to be finalized, the foundation will be moving from an issue-based programmatic approach to a cross-cutting and more integrated approach focused on building resilient, healthy and equitable communities. We are excited about this direction and will be sharing more details over the next several weeks. While we finish our planning process, we want to continue to support the work being done across the region to address a variety of health issues, including our current priorities. As a result, this Spring 2018 Request for Proposals will serve as a transition grant cycle, moving us from our current priorities of Access to Care, Adolescent Mental Health, Healthy Aging and the Opioid Epidemic to our new integrated approach to resilient and healthy communities. To help make this transition as smooth as possible, we have included a set of frequently asked questions at the end of these guidelines. Transitional Grant Solicitations Access to Care Page 3 Adolescent Mental Health Page 3 Addressing the Opioid Epidemic Page 4 Health Equity Page 5 Healthy Aging Page 6 Responsive Page 7 Continuation Page 8 Application Information Proposals must be submitted online and be received by the foundation by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2018. Instructions for the online application are available on the foundation s website at www.mwhealth.org. The application process consists of easy-to-follow steps, including completion of Word and Excel narrative and budget forms, entry of information directly into the online system, and uploading of required documents. The system allows users to save an unfinished application and return to it later for completion. Incomplete or late proposals will not be considered for review. 1
Bidders Conference The foundation will host a bidders conference with information on funding initiatives and the application process on Monday, February 12, 2018 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. at the foundation s offices, located at 161 Worcester Road, Suite 202, in Framingham. Attendance is not required but is strongly encouraged. Please RVSP to rdonham@mwhealth.org by Friday, February 9, 2018. Concept Papers The foundation requires applicants to submit concept papers prior to a full proposal. Concept papers help the foundation assess whether or not the proposed project is aligned with its funding priorities. One-page concept papers must be accompanied by a cover sheet and a draft logic model and be submitted by 4:00 pm on March 9, 2018. Please send concept papers to Rebecca Donham at rdonham@mwhealth.org. Organizations submitting continuation grant requests do not need to submit a concept paper. Foundation Support Once a grant is made, foundation staff work with grantees to ensure that project outcomes are achievable and measurable, that grant activities are connected to larger community efforts to address area health needs, and that grantees have access to technical assistance and training to help them achieve success. The foundation also seeks to learn from each grant, using site visits and grantee reports to record lessons learned that can inform our work and that of future grantees. We encourage grantees to consider the foundation as a resource throughout the duration of the grant. General Restrictions The foundation supports programs that directly benefit the health of those who live and work in one of the 25 communities served by the foundation. Such support is limited to organizations that qualify as taxexempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code, or organizations that are recognized as instrumentalities of state or local government. The foundation does not provide grants to individuals, nor does it provide funds for endowments, fundraising drives and events, retirement of debt, operating deficits, projects that directly influence legislation, political activities or candidates for public office or programs that are customarily operated by hospitals in Massachusetts. The foundation does not award grants to organizations that discriminate in the provision of services on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation or veteran status. About the Foundation The MetroWest Health Foundation s mission is to improve the health status of the community, its individuals and families through informed and innovative leadership. The foundation serves the following communities: Ashland, Bellingham, Dover, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Medfield, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millis, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellesley and Westborough. 2
Access to Care Grants Over the last five-years, the foundation has invested $4.2 million to support improvements in access to health insurance, primary medical care and behavioral health services. These investments have helped to support a safety net of critical health services across MetroWest communities, as well as services to a variety of special populations, including those who experience homelessness, serious mental illness, and those who are uninsured. Funding At this time, the foundation will not be accepting new grants under its Access to Care Initiative. Rather, it is our intent to make targeted investments later this spring of operating support to organizations that provide direct health services and supports in the region. Adolescent Mental Health Grants According to the 2016 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey, 18% of high school youth reported depressive symptoms and one in 25 attempted suicide in the past year. For vulnerable populations, the rates are even higher. For example, 60% of transgender youth reported depressive symptoms and one in three attempted suicide in the past year. Mental health problems may lead to substance abuse, poor school performance, school dropout, strained family relationships, involvement with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems and engaging in risky sexual behaviors 1. Furthermore, only 45 percent of adolescents with a mental health diagnosis receive treatment 2. Activities and Outcomes To help MetroWest communities address adolescent mental health problems, the foundation will provide grants to schools and nonprofit organizations for targeted intervention strategies. Specifically, the foundation will fund: Evidence-based or research-based programs and services for intervening with at-risk adolescents. Examples include staff training in Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT), replication of the Bridge to Resilient Youth in Transition (BRYT), recovery support groups, innovative uses of technology and programs for LGBT and homeless youth. Applicants are encouraged to review SAMHSA s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (www.nrepp.samhsa.gov). Applicants must cite community-specific 2016 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey baseline mental health data and to collect and report progress toward reducing these behaviors. 3
Funding Organizations and schools are eligible to apply for up to $75,000 per year and grants may be for one, two or three years in duration. Applications involving schools must submit a letter signed by the superintendent indicating support for the request. Proposals without such letter will be deemed incomplete. 1 Kapphahn, C.; Morreale, M.; Rickert, V.; Walker, L. 2006. Financing Mental Health Services for Adolescents: A Position Paper of the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Journal of Adolescent Health 39: 456-458 2 Costello EJ, He JP, Sampson NA, et al: Services for adolescents with psychiatric disorders: 12-month data from the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent. Psychiatric Services 65:359 366. Grants to Address the Opioid Epidemic According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there were 79 confirmed opioid-related overdose deaths in MetroWest in 2016, an 18% increase over 2015. In addition, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission reports there were 1,892 opioid-related hospital visits by MetroWest residents in 2014. According to the 2016 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey, 3% of high school students have misused prescription opioids and 1.4% used heroin in the past year. Activities and Outcomes Through this initiative, the foundation is seeking to assist communities in addressing the opioid epidemic by achieving the following outcomes: 1. Offer community drug prevention and education strategies. The foundation will support community coalitions that will identify effective strategies and solutions to addressing opioid and other substance misuse at the local level, including prevention and education programs that focus on the impact that recreational marijuana sales might have on underage residents. Efforts should align with best practices on substance use coalitions from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA). 2. Increase access to substance abuse treatment/recovery services. The foundation will support new models that connect individuals who have experienced an opiate overdose event to followon services, including substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation services. Such programs should demonstrate coordination between first responders, hospital emergency rooms and substance abuse treatment providers. Note: Foundation funds are limited to referral/coordination of care and cannot be used to fund individual treatment services. Funding Agencies interested in funding to create and/or expand local coalitions (#1 above) are eligible to apply for amounts as follows: up to $10,000 per community for communities with populations of fewer than 4
30,000; up to $25,000 for communities of 30,000 or greater. Municipalities that currently receive Drug- Free Communities funding are not eligible. Grants may be for up to two years in duration. Nonprofit organizations interested in access to treatment grants (#2 above) are eligible to apply for up to $75,000 per year and grants may be for one, two or three years in duration. Health Equity Grants The MetroWest Health Foundation is committed to advancing health equity in its programs and grantmaking. Health equity refers to all people having full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives. This also means addressing the racial inequities that exist in policies, practices, attitudes and cultural messages that result in people of color experiencing poorer health outcomes. 1 By reducing health inequities, we can begin to address the disparities in care and improve the health of all residents of MetroWest. There are many health disparities experienced by people of color. A few examples include mental health where 20.4% of White non-hispanic Massachusetts residents report a lifetime diagnosis of depression compared to 26.3% of Latino residents 2 ; between 2010 and 2014, the average annual Sudden Infant Death Syndrome rate among Massachusetts Black non-hispanic infants was 2 times higher than the rate among White non-hispanic infants 3 ; and the rate of diabetes between 2005 and 2008 was 6.4 for White non-hispanic Massachusetts residents compared to 8.6 for Black non-hispanic residents. 4 We recognize that eliminating health inequities will only be accomplished by taking a systems approach that involves multiple stakeholders including social service agencies, residents, faith-based institutions, medical providers and others. Grants made in this category are designed to help agencies take the first step in assessing and improving their internal cultural competency as well as improve access for those in our community most vulnerable to adverse health outcomes. Activities and Outcomes The foundation is seeking grant proposals from qualified organizations that address the following objectives: 1. Support and promote a diverse workforce. Recruiting and retaining staff at all levels of an agency that represent the community being served, as well as ongoing culturally competency training for all staff lay the ground work to serving a diverse population well. The foundation will support projects that create pipelines for diverse staff to move into leadership roles; 1 http://www.racialequityresourceguide.org/about/glossary 2 Massachusetts Department of Public Health. A Profile of Health among Massachusetts Adults, 2012: Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 3 https://blog.mass.gov/publichealth/dph/national-public-health-week-infant-mortality/ 4 http://www.mass.gov/hdc/docs/2012/jan/disparities-in-health-2011.pdf 5
innovative ideas on recruitment of diverse candidates; programs designed to retain diverse staff; and cultural competency training for staff and volunteers. 2. Internal assessment of agency capacity to address the needs of diverse populations within the region. Funding can be used to objectively assess the agency s policies and practices related to diversity and cultural competency. The focus of such assessments should cover a variety of areas including governance, workforce, client engagement and service delivery. Funding can also be used to make improvements based on the findings of an assessment. 3. Improve access to services and information to reach disenfranchised populations. This can include translating written materials, hiring translators or translation services, marketing that targets populations most vulnerable to a health issue, making spaces and materials more welcoming to diverse populations, and other innovative ways to reach populations experiencing health disparities. Funding Grants are for a maximum of $30,000. Grants are made for one year with the possibility of two additional years of continuation funding. Healthy Aging Grants Recently, Governor Charlie Baker announced that Massachusetts has joined the network of AARP Age- Friendly States and the World Health Organization Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities. Massachusetts is only the second state in the nation to take such action after New York enrolled with AARP to become an age friendly state in 2017. This is indicative of the state s commitment to helping older adults age in place and remain vital members of their communities. The foundation has been supporting aspects of healthy aging for many years. We feel the Age Friendly movement provides a helpful framework for communities to address the barriers many older adults face to staying healthy, as well as harness the resources older adults offer a community. The Dementia Friendly Community movement is one that complements Age Friendly in that is addresses the specific needs of those living with dementia and their caregivers. In 2010, the population of those over age 60 was more than 20% in only four MetroWest towns. It is estimated that by 2030, all 25 towns will have at least 20% of their population composed of those over age 60 with 17 towns having at least 30% of their population over age 60. 5 The foundation believes that the most effective way of meeting the needs of the increasing population of older adults in our region is for communities to bring together as many stakeholders as possible to develop a range of programming and policies. The Age and Dementia Friendly Communities framework promotes this model. 5 Grow rate from U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 Population Estimates and 2012 National Projections Population map 2010 is from 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, 2030 population maps are from UMass Donahue Institute Vintage 2015 Population Projections, March 2015 6
The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative is a leading voice in the state on Age and Dementia Friendly initiatives. It is recommended that applicants look at the resources on their website (https://mahealthyagingcollaborative.org/). Their staff is also available to help with technical assistance for any town in the state exploring becoming an Age Friendly Community. Activities and Outcomes The Foundation is seeking grant proposals from qualified organizations that address the following objectives: 1. Advance Age and Dementia Friendly Communities. The foundation is seeking proposals to bring together a wide range of community partners to advance Age and/or Dementia Friendly Community planning or implementation. Proposals must include the engagement of multiple community stakeholders, including, but not limited to, residents over age 65; community-based agencies serving older adults; local councils on aging; and non-traditional partners such as local businesses who serve older adults. Funding For the purposes of this initiative, grantees can define the parameters of a community in any way they wish (i.e. one town; multiple towns; neighborhood within a larger town or city). Grants are for a maximum of $40,000. Grants are made for one year with the possibility of two additional years of continuation funding. Responsive Grants The foundation will fund limited responsive grants, defined as health projects that fall outside of the foundation s defined targeted initiatives. These grants will focus on providing limited and short-term funding for approaches to address documented unmet health needs in communities served by the foundation. Activities and Outcomes Because responsive grants are short term, the foundation encourages submission of applications for which ongoing support and sustainability are not required. In this round of funding, the foundation will provide funding through the following specific responsive grant categories: 1) Capacity building, which could include planning for future sustainability, one-time consultation, replication of national models that do not require future funding (e.g. train-the-trainer models), new technology, equipment and/or materials, and pilot or start-up programs with identified funding sources beyond the pilot year. 7
2) Ongoing budgetary and regulatory decisions on tax policy, health care and social services at various levels of government have the potential to destabilize services within the region. While private philanthropy cannot replace government support of services, we can support non-profit community organizations as they work to anticipate how policy changes may impact those they serve. Examples could include risk assessments, scenario planning, new partnerships and care delivery models. 3) Activities that respond to specific strategies identified in the Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIP) for the CHNA-6 (Milford) and CHNA-7 (Framingham) regions. A CHIP is a long-term, systematic effort to address public health problems in a community. Programs must serve residents from the foundation s region. The CHIP for CHNA-6 can be found here: http://foundation.milfordregional.org/resources/chna.pdf The CHIP for CHNA-7 can be found here: https://www.mwhealth.org/portals/0/uploads/documents/2017%20community%20health%20 Improvement%20Plan.pdf Applicants must be prepared to collect and report on short-term outcomes by the end of the grant period. Funding The foundation will fund only a limited number of proposals through its responsive grantmaking. The maximum grant amount is $20,000 and grants are for one year only and are not eligible for continuation funding. Continuation Grants The foundation will accept proposals from existing grantees to provide additional years of support for their active projects. The foundation will not accept proposals for continuation requests for grants deemed closed by the foundation, projects not eligible for continuation funding such as prior responsive grants or continuation requests for projects that are already in their third and final year of funding, as in most cases the foundation will only provide up to three years of funding. Organizations seeking renewal grants must clearly demonstrate in their proposal that: there is a continued need for the project, the project s original goals and objectives are being achieved, progress has been made toward sustaining the project after the grant period ends, and additional support is critical to the maintenance of the project and those who benefit from its work. Applicants must be up to date on narrative and financial reports in order to be considered. 8
Funding Organizations submitting proposals for continuation support are required to request funding at levels below their current grants. Frequently Asked Questions About the Foundation s Current Planning Efforts Why is the foundation doing strategic planning? Since inception, the foundation has engaged in a deliberate process of strategic planning as way to ensure that our grantmaking and program activities are focused on community health needs. Over its history, this process has led the foundation to have a measurable impact on the health of children and youth, adults and elders, along with special populations such as those with mental illness, those who are homeless and those who use substances. The foundation s current strategic plan was developed in 2012 and has guided our most recent efforts to address access to care, adolescent mental health and healthy aging. Recognizing that our current plan is now five-years old, and we are seeing less grant applications that focus on our current priorities, the board and staff are actively working on a new plan to guide our work over the foreseeable future. What does a cross-cutting and more integrated approach focused on building resilient, healthy and equitable communities really mean? It means that our work will not just focus on making grants, but will also focus on working within our 25 communities and with our grantees to 1) advance health equity (diversity and inclusion); 2) ensure that basic health needs are met; 3) facilitate information sharing and learning, especially as new policy changes emerge at both the federal and state level; 4) foster and support innovation; 5) better integrate health and social services so as to address the social determinants of health; and, 6) continue our work to develop effective organizations and leaders within the region. What about the current priorities? Our work to build resilient and healthy communities will require that we continue to focus on access to care, mental health, the opioid epidemic and healthy aging as these remain important health issues in our community. However, how we approach these issues may change. For example, rather than making grants to individual agencies to support care management programs, we may convene agencies to see what tools are needed to better a system of care in the region that brings health care and social services together in new ways to benefit residents. 9
Will my current grant continue? If your current grant is eligible for continuation funding, you will certainly be encouraged to apply for a continuation grant. If you are unsure about eligibility, ask the program officer assigned to your grant for clarification. Will the foundation still be open to responsive grants? Yes, we will continue to make responsive grants to address health needs that you bring to us through a biannual RFP process. Have more questions? Ask us! The foundation has always prided itself on being accessible and transparent. If you are unsure of what our planning means for your organization, ask us. We also want your feedback. If our new plan doesn t make sense to you, tell us. Your feedback will help ensure that our work remains on target and truly benefits the region. 10