BCBSMF: Healthy Start Grant Program

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation's Healthy Start Grant Program aims to enhance early childhood care and education by funding tax-exempt nonprofits, Tribal Nations, and fiscally sponsored groups in Minnesota. With a total of $2 million over two years, grants of up to $100,000 per year will support initiatives to improve access to quality care, screenings, and family support services, ultimately addressing health inequities and fostering healthy development for vulnerable children.

What We Fund
Our funding focuses on building healthy generations by increasing access to health insurance coverage and quality healthcare, increasing access to and quality of early childhood care and education, and increasing social connections within and across communities and generations to reduce social isolation.
Healthy Start: Investing in early childhood care and education for lifelong health
The goal of this funding opportunity is to increase access to quality early childhood care and education supports for vulnerable young children and their caregivers.
The Foundation will fund tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations, fiscally sponsored groups and Tribal Nations across Minnesota working to support healthy child development and eliminate structural, racial, and health inequities that impede access to and quality of the following early childhood care and education supports:
High-quality child care and early learning, which is in unsustainably low supply, is deeply unaffordable and lacks necessary workforce support and resourcesEarly childhood screenings, which are essential in providing developmental assessment, support and early intervention servicesFamily home visiting, which increases parents’ knowledge, provides social support, and connects families to additional resources
Funding
The Foundation expects to grant a total of up to $1 million in year one and an additional $1 million in year two. Applicants may apply for grants of up to $100,000 per year and may apply for one- or two-year grants (up to $100,000 each year). Organizations applying for two-year grants may request different amounts each year.

Eligibility

Eligible organizations:Tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations that are not private foundations
Tribal Nations
Fiscally sponsored groupsFiscal sponsors must be eligible organizations. If you plan to use a fiscal sponsor, click here for instructions.All applicants must be located in or serve Minnesota communitiesEligible use of funds:Project staff salaries and benefits
Direct project-related costs
Indirect administrative costs, up to 20 percent of the total grant budgetThe Foundation welcomes applications that implement, continue, or expand proven approaches, and those that develop and implement new models. Both new and existing efforts are eligible. Each organization may submit only one application for this funding opportunity. Fiscal sponsors may apply on behalf of other projects, as well as on behalf of their own project.

Ineligibility

Ineligible organizations:Individuals
Organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, sexual orientation or veteran statusOrganizations that require membership in their religious tradition or advance religious beliefs or practices (Faith-based organizations are eligible to apply if they welcome and serve all members of the community regardless of religious belief.)Ineligible use of funds:Lobbying:As required by the Internal Revenue Code, the Foundation will not fund attempts to influence specific pending or proposed legislation, including referenda, local ordinances and resolutions. This prohibition generally includes direct lobbying of legislators and other government officials with respect to specific legislation and mass media advertising campaigns aimed at influencing specific legislation.Activities focused on commercial tobacco use and healthy eating. Blue Cross’ Center for Prevention focuses on addressing commercial tobacco use and healthy eating; therefore, applications focused primarily on those issues are not eligible for Foundation funding.Capital expenditures and equipment: Capital expenditures are funds used to acquire, upgrade and maintain physical assets — such as property, plants, buildings or vehicles. Equipment is defined as tangible items where the acquisition of a single item is $5,000 or more.Activities that are inherently religious or require membership in a religion. These include religious worship, instruction or proselytization.