Grants to improve Oral Health of Communities throughout Arkansas

The Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation's Community Grant opportunity is designed to provide statewide support to communities and nonprofit organizations throughout Arkansas. Its primary mission alignment is to focus on oral health education and services, specifically targeting underserved and uninsured Arkansas residents. This grant program is a direct reflection of the foundation's strategic priority to increase access to oral health care, particularly through community partnerships that fund preventative services and/or treatment. The target beneficiaries of these grants include underserved individuals of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and socio-economic statuses in Arkansas. The overarching impact goal is to improve oral health outcomes by increasing access to dental care and promoting good oral health practices. The program supports transactional projects and services that aim to achieve this goal, aligning with the foundation's theory of change that by funding preventative services and treatment, health disparities can be reduced and overall community well-being enhanced. The grant program has two main focus areas: Prevention and Treatment. Under Prevention, the grants aim to provide preventive and basic oral healthcare needs for the community. Under Treatment, the focus is on treating at-risk or low-income populations with existing oral health conditions. The grant-making focus specifically supports projects centered on increasing access to both treatment and preventative care, as well as services that promote good oral health practices. Expected outcomes include providing oral health treatment, education, and disease prevention services; increasing access to oral health services for underserved Arkansans; and promoting collaboration across a wide range of health providers in the state. While measurable results are not explicitly detailed in terms of specific metrics, the prioritization of grant requests incorporating a clear oral health focus, a detailed project plan, active collaboration, inclusion of diverse groups, referral protocols, wrap-around support, and the initiation of oral health programs in underserved counties all point to an emphasis on tangible, community-level impact. Community Grants range from $2,500 up to $40,000 per organization, and funds can be used for programmatic, operational, capital needs, and dental clinic expenses.