Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County Grant

Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County
Amount: US $20,000 - US $100,000
Last Updated: December 20, 2025

Summary

The Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County Grant aims to enhance healthcare access for low-income residents through targeted programs for the uninsured and underinsured. The foundation prioritizes initiatives that improve program effectiveness, organizational sustainability, and collaboration among local healthcare providers. Grants typically range from $20,000 to $100,000, focusing on strategic areas such as clinical care, linkage to care, and systems capacity building, ultimately fostering better health outcomes in the community.

Overview

NOTE: Please note that organizational capacity and system capacity grants are by invitation only. Those interested in seeking funding should contact the Foundation program officer. Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County Grant Our Approach We work to improve access to quality health care for Lake County’s low-income residents in two ways. First, we support the work of programs that target uninsured or underinsured individuals and families and underserved neighborhoods and communities. Second, we build the capacity of programs, organizations, and systems to serve those most in need. “Capacity building” can mean many things. We use the term to describe funding directed toward achieving the following specific goals. Increasing program effectiveness: We want to increase grantees’ ability to implement successful program models and strategies used elsewhere; evaluate their programs’ effectiveness; demonstrate how programs improve the health status of the persons they serve; leverage limited resources in new ways in order to gain efficiencies and reduce duplication; and build strategic partnerships and alliances.Ensuring organizational sustainability: We want to enable grantees to improve their managerial and governance skills and resources, for example by conducting organizational assessments of strengths and weaknesses; strengthening their board of directors; addressing the equity and diversity of the organization; diversifying revenue sources; conducting strategic planning; developing evaluation methods and tools; and building information technology infrastructure.Leveraging healthcare system resources: We want to give local organizations the capacity to collaborate to build and strengthen northern Lake County’s healthcare continuum of services. Examples include community needs assessments; feasibility studies; and planning and implementation of large-scale initiatives designed to improve coordination of services between systems, such as hospitals and community clinics. Strategic Areas We believe that concentrating our funding in the five strategic areas outlined below will lead to: A reduction in unnecessary treatments, hospitalizations and emergency visits; A reduction in healthcare costs to consumers and the community; Improved health status of the uninsured and underserved residents through access to comprehensive and integrated care; and Increased capacity of non-profit organizations and the health system/continuum of care. Funding Strategies Strategy 1: Clinical care: High-quality, comprehensive, and coordinated health services are necessary to improve the health status of uninsured, underinsured, and medically underserved residents of northern Lake County.Clinical Care includes medical, dental, vision, mental health, and case management service programs with the following typical characteristics:Services are provided in clinical settings; Clients/patients have treatment or service plans and clinical diagnoses, if applicable; Clients/patients have medical or health records; Services include access to specialists, diagnostic testing, medications, and equipment needed for comprehensive care, as well as case management that coordinates care or improves patients’ participation in treatment; Improvements in clients/patients’ health status are measureable; and Services are provided by licensed staff, if applicable.Programs funded through this strategy monitor improvements in the clients’ health status, such as improved cholesterol levels, decreased depression episodes, or improved oral health. Strategy 2: Linkage to care:Community–based outreach and education help improve residents’ access to healthcare by improving their health literacy and their ability to make informed decisions about where and when to access healthcare, reduce unhealthy behaviors, and improve their health outcomes.Linkage to Care provides education about prevalent health conditions, disease screenings, and connects community members to medical homes. The programs we fund typicallyProvide services in community (non-clinical) settings; Offer individual or group education and disease screenings for prevalent health conditions; and Offer one-on-one navigation assistance to access necessary health services.Programs funded through this strategy monitor improvements in the clients’ health knowledge or behavior as well as linkage to care (e.g., an established medical home). Strategy 3: Scholarships:Sufficient numbers of qualified healthcare professionals, in various fields, are needed to meet the growing demand for health services in northern Lake County.Scholarships are awarded to post-secondary educational institutions, not directly to individuals. We seek to fund scholarship programs that include the following elements:Are offered by postsecondary educational institutions and prepare local residents for careers in high–demand areas of healthcare; Require recipients to demonstrate financial need and meet the requirement of being a resident of northern Lake County; Require that recipients secure licensing to practice in their field; and Require recipients to return to the community to work or practice for two years in an underserved area of northern Lake County.Programs funded through this strategy monitor student’s successful completion of their education and mandatory employment requirements. Strategy 4: Organizational capacity building:Organizations need resources and effective leaders with vision, skills, and tools to help them thrive. Current Foundation grantees (i.e., those that receive funding through our clinical care, linkage to care, or scholarship programs) may apply for organizational capacity building grants.These grants help grantees address organizational needs such as board development, revenue diversification (including building endowments), strategic planning, evaluation, or information technology. We seek to fund projects that:Address a well-defined organizational capacity need, one corroborated by internal assessments and literature on best practices or research; Partner with outside experts to (1) develop plans to addresses the capacity need and/or (2) facilitate the implementation of an existing plan to address the capacity need; Demonstrate that board members and senior staff are supportive and will remain committed both during the initiative and after; and Provide (1) a timeline for the work to be done and (2) realistic outcomes.Projects funded through this strategy monitor indicators of progress and sustainability. Improving revenue diversification by establishing or building organization endowment funds are awarded as matching grants. To be eligible, organizations must establish a new endowment or build upon an existing endowment of $100,000 or less. Organizations are only eligible to receive these grants once. Strategy 5: Systems capacity building:Organizations that collaborate and innovate are more likely to arrive at solutions that address persistent limitations in northern Lake County’s health services. System innovations based on best practices lead to increased effectiveness and efficiency of health services in northern Lake County.System capacity building grants are available for individual organizations or organizational partnerships that provide services in northern Lake County. Initiatives must address community or population needs within northern Lake County. We seek to fund initiatives that have considered the following:Relevant and current research that indicates a well-defined system capacity need; Engagement of the key stakeholders necessary to address the system capacity need; Leveraging available resources such as technology, knowledge and expertise, and money; Clearly defined goals for the system, benchmarks to measure progress, and anticipated outcomes; and A plan to collect data and an evaluation that informs the project while it progresses and ultimately demonstrates the desired healthcare delivery system improvements.Initiatives funded through this strategy monitor indicators of access to services, coordination with other organizations, and effective and comprehensive service systems. Funding Grants typically range from $20,000 to $100,000.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County makes grants only to tax-exempt nonprofit organizations and rarely funds organizations outside Lake County.

Ineligibility

The Foundation does not fund the following: Biomedical research Patient financial aid Religious activities Services provided by unqualified persons