Community Impact Grant Program
Throughout our nation we are faced with many uncertainties and health inequities. As a result of COVID-19, health outcomes for people living in vulnerable communities, and already disproportionately impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH), are now at an even greater health risk. SDOH are the economic and social conditions that influence individual and group differences in health status. Length of life and quality of life are the primary drivers of health outcomes. Medline is committed to social determinants of health and through this grant program we can promote good health for all people.
Medline is investing resources to help non-profit organizations address prevalent health challenges, stimulate health equity and improve population health in under resourced areas. We award results-focused grants that offer community- centered solutions and immediate impact. Through collaboration with community experts, we can provide essential resources, re-direct adverse outcomes and improve the well-being of people. This is, and always will be, our ongoing commitment to communities.
To learn about other Medline grant opportunities, including Investigator-Initiated Studies (IIS) or Fellowship and Educational Grants, click here.
Here is a look at the 2022 Community Impact Grant recipients
Economic Stability
Grant recipient: Lake County Haven provides life-saving shelter, housing, and supportive services to women and children who are homeless and in crisis. Services provided include one-on-one counseling, case management and life-skills training, as well as an onsite Day Program. It is their vision that no one who enters their programs will ever be homeless again.
What the grant will support: The Haven expects to provide homeless women and children with over 13,000 hours of direct, professional services designed to help them develop the tools and resources to overcome homelessness and create a life of health, safety, and stability for themselves and their families.
Grant recipient: Project Angel Heart provides nourishment and compassion to neighbors in need. Throughout their 31 years in service, they have consistently increased the number of people they serve, the volume and quality of the meals they provide, and their geographic reach. Their chefs and registered dietitian create meals tailored to meet clients’ individual and medical dietary needs to alleviate hunger and complement their disease management and treatments.
What the grant will support: Project Angel Heart expects to successfully prepare and home-deliver medically tailored meals each week to low-income Coloradans living with severe illness. In turn, Project Angel Heart receives updates from clients regarding improvements to their stress, financial security, healthy eating habits, and overall quality of life—all indicators of mitigated risk and disease progression—because of the meals. Lastly, clients will report improvements to their energy, health, ability to remain independent in their own home, and ability to follow a prescribed health plan because of the meals.
Regional East Texas Food Bank, TX
Grant recipient: The East Texas Food Bank (ETFB) exists to fight hunger and feed hope in East Texas. ETFB was founded in 1988 to provide a reliable source of nutritious foods to East Texans at risk of hunger, which includes many who experience poorer health and are at a higher risk of chronic diseases. Headquartered in Tyler, ETFB collects food from a variety of sources, then distributes to a network of more than 200 partner agencies and feeding programs throughout 26 counties.
What the grant will support: The grant will support the Mobile Pantry Program, which benefits individuals and families in targeted census tracts and rural East Texas communities with high levels of need and disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these families live below the federal poverty line. ETFB’s Mobile Pantry Program also provides a reliable source of healthy foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy proteins, to low-income East Texas households in areas where there are fewer retail stores and little to no access to more nutritious food options.
Education Access and Quality
YWCA of Asheville and Western North Carolina, Inc., NC
Grant recipient: The YWCA of Asheville works to eliminate racism and empower women by providing programs and advocacy for over 3,000 community members in Western North Carolina. Their services support families, promote wellness and advance racial justice, mitigating health inequities for individuals and communities of color.
What the grant will support: The grant will support the YWCA MotherLove program that serves pregnant and parenting teens 13 to 19 years old. Nationally, only 40% of teen mothers graduate high school, resulting in the lowest earning workers in the US. MotherLove will work with pregnant and parenting teens to support them through high school graduation, help delay subsequent pregnancies, offer sex education, and help them access prenatal and postnatal care and education.
Healthcare Access and Quality
Grant recipient: Founded in 1901, JHA is Illinois’ only independent prison watchdog. Its long-standing relationship of mutual respect with both the Illinois Departments of Corrections (IDOC) and Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) allow access into every state prison. They believe that witnessing and reporting the realities of life inside our prisons is critical to not only the goals of reform, but also to further both justice and equity throughout society.
What the grant will support: This grant would fund the John Howard Association Prison Monitoring & Advocacy work. Through this work, JHA monitors access to and quality of prison healthcare; identifies issues that compromise healthcare inside prisons for incarcerated people and those who work inside prisons; and advocates for changes that improve healthcare outcomes for justice-involved individuals, as well as their communities.
Grant recipient: Founded in 1983, Hospitality Homes provides free and low-cost short-term housing in volunteer host homes and donated accommodations for patients, families, and caregivers who travel to Boston for specialized medical care. Volunteers open their homes to guests each year, helping to reduce barriers to accessing medical care and providing much-needed relief from the emotional and financial strains of medical treatment. This approach leverages donated and in-kind commitments to help families stay together during some of the most critical and challenging times in their lives, and allows patients access to cutting-edge, lifesaving treatments and clinical trials.
What the grant will support: With hotel and short-term lodging costs continuing to rise, patients and families are facing higher than ever non-medical costs of treatment. The global pandemic has led to an increase in requests for Hospitality Homes services. The grant will help provide immune-safe lodging for low-income patients and family members seeking care in Boston.
Neighborhood and Built Environment
Covenant House Illinois, Inc., IL
Grant recipient: Covenant House Illinois (CHIL) was founded in 2017 and is part of a network of 34 independently operated Covenant House locations across the United States, Canada and Latin America. Their mission is to provide young people (ages 18 to 24) experiencing homelessness with shelter and safety, trust and community, and a better tomorrow. For 50 years, the broader Covenant House network has served and advocated for youth experiencing homelessness, human trafficking and exploitation.
What the grant will support: The grant will support Covenant House Illinois programs that engage youth in coordinated services to move young people from the street into stable and permanent housing and reduce risk factors for violence involvement and future adverse health outcomes. Their program model includes prevention and support services, clinical case management, and street outreach and intervention. These services help improve the health, safety and wellbeing of youth on the West Side by connecting them to holistic, trauma-informed services that address housing and social and emotional needs.
Social and Community Context
Grant recipient: The Chicago Urban League (the League) works for economic, educational and social progress for African Americans and promotes strong, sustainable communities through advocacy, collaboration and innovation. Founded in 1916, the League is one of the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movements devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream.
What the grant will support: The grant will support health equity by conducting focus groups on chronic disease, childhood obesity and mental health, substance abuse and addictions, and infections, to ensure barriers to basic healthcare are identified, understood and properly linked to available resources. They will also host equitable COVID-19 vaccine and testing outreach programs and, through the Health-Focused Resource Network, connect individuals and families to accessible medical care, educational programs, economic resources, and other support services.
Grant recipient: Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school, and at play. Working with a network of 69 social service agency partners throughout Chicagoland, they provide high-quality clothing, shoes, seasonally appropriate outerwear, learning supplies, hygiene items, diapers, and more – completely free of charge – to children experiencing poverty in order to help close the equity gap and give them the best chance for success.
What the grant will support: Cradles to Crayons will provide packages of goods to low-income children across Chicagoland, through the Everyday Essentials initiative serving children living in low-income situations. By providing these items, Cradles to Crayons will help close the health and education equity gaps that disproportionately affect individuals experiencing poverty and give Chicagoland’s next generation a better chance at success.
Breast Cancer Awareness
Grant recipient: Ann’s Place is a community-based cancer support organization. While there have been significant medical advances in the treatment of cancer, there remains limited psychosocial support for patients and their families, regardless of their financial status. For the past 31 years, Ann’s Place has been filling this gap. Their mission is to provide comfort, support and resources to people living with cancer and to their loved ones.
What the grant will support: The grant will help Ann’s Place expand the Health Equity Initiative (HEI) Program to serve more Spanish-speaking cancer patients in the Latino/Hispanic community in the region. The HEI program provides extra support for members of the community who face language, economic and cultural barriers, or have limited access to healthcare, education and transportation. Bilingual clinicians will provide individual and family counseling and lead two support groups, one for cancer patients (Viviendo con Fe) and one for caretakers (Yo Amo y Cuido), as well as other support programs.
The Ellie Fund, MA
Grant recipient: Since 1995, The Ellie Fund has been providing essential support services to breast cancer patients and their families. These services include grocery assistance, nutritious delivered meals, transportation to and from medical appointments, childcare, housekeeping, and integrative therapy services. They know that these services are not optional, but are critical resources that most patients need to access uninterrupted treatment, recover, and heal from breast cancer.
What the grant will support: The grant will support Equitable Pathways and help The Ellie Fund meet the growing need for lifesaving support services that women, particularly women of color, need to survive and heal from breast cancer. Funding will help provide transportation to help patients get to and from medical appointments; healthy, home-delivered, culturally relevant foods; funding for childcare; light housekeeping services to ensure that families can live with dignity; and integrative therapy services to alleviate emotional distress and chronic pain that often accompanies breast cancer treatment. Ellie Fund helps to decrease barriers to essential breast cancer treatment.
Individual grants are capped at $25,000.
NOTE: Eligible organizations must be non-profit and provide 501(C)3 documentation and documentation of current tax-exempt status under the IRS code, including an IRS letter of determination; must be based in the United States and its territories. Healthcare providers, healthcare organizations, affiliated foundations, or any organization that provides medical treatment, care and service to patients, are not eligible. Applications must be completed in full and submitted on a designated portal during the application cycle. Applications submitted outside of the application cycle will not be considered. Submitting an online application does not guarantee funding