Health Access Heroes Awards Grant

The Health Access Heroes Awards, initiated by Sun Life Financial, aims to enhance health access and outcomes for underserved communities. This initiative highlights the crucial connection between oral health and diabetes, focusing on prevention and management. It recognizes impactful nonprofits and unsung heroes who contribute significantly to community health. Selected awardees will receive a $10,000 donation to support their charitable efforts, promoting diabetes awareness, management, and overall health equity.

The Oral Health and Diabetes Connection
There is a close link between oral health and diabetes that is often overlooked.
Many at-risk communities lack access to preventive oral health care and regular dental exams, which can significantly impact overall health and lead to other health issues.
Diabetes also disproportionately impacts underprivileged communities, and when poorly managed, can lead to severe medical conditions, including cardiovascular and kidney disease.
We foster people, programs and innovation that will increase access, make health and benefits easier and improve health outcomes for those who need it most.
There are two Access Hero Award tracks shining a light on work to improve access and health outcomes for communities in need: Grants for nonprofits to support and fund impactful programs, and Nominations to recognize unsung Heroes that have made a significant impact in their communities. Areas of focus include:

• diabetes prevention, awareness and educationdiabetes management and care
• treatment and recovery support for diabetes-related complications
• obesity prevention
• nutritional programs: awareness and education
• nutritional programs: access and food insecurity
• oral health equity and access
• children’s oral health care
• oral disease prevention and management
• We recognize individual changemakers in communities throughout the U.S. who are working to improve health access in innovative & impactful ways.
• Selected Award recipients will receive a $10,000 donation to the charity of their choice.

Eligibility

Nominations to recognize unsung Heroes that have made a significant impact in their communities.