Health Equity Innovation Award

The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, in partnership with Univera Healthcare, has announced the 2024 Health Equity Innovation Awards. This program aims to provide funding to community-based organizations that support health and wellness initiatives. The core mission of this collaboration is to address and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities specifically within Western New York, aligning with the foundation's strategic priority to foster health equity. This marks the fourth year for the awards, with the Health Foundation's new partnership enhancing the program's potential impact through additional funds. The awards target nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations operating within Univera Healthcare’s eight-county service area, which includes Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties. The program seeks to benefit communities facing a higher burden of health inequities and social disadvantages, including racial, ethnic, LGBTQ communities, people with disabilities, and individuals in rural or urban areas at high risk for medical issues, behavioral/mental health conditions, or negative outcomes like death or suicide. The impact goal is to measurably improve health equity outcomes for these vulnerable populations. Priority categories for the Health Equity Innovation Awards are diverse and include improving maternal health outcomes, addressing behavioral or mental health conditions, managing acute and chronic diseases, and tackling social determinants of health. These social determinants encompass economic stability, access to education and quality healthcare, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context. Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative approaches to health improvement that align with these critical areas, reflecting the foundation's theory of change which emphasizes systemic and community-based interventions. Proposals must clearly define goals for reducing health disparities and demonstrate how the requested funding, up to $30,000 per organization, will measurably assist in achieving these improved health equity outcomes. While the grant duration is not specified, recipients will be announced mid-November, and a six-month follow-up will be conducted to assess the impact and use of the funds. This commitment to follow-up underscores the program's focus on demonstrable results and accountability in addressing significant health challenges within the region.