MIHEF Community Health Impact RFP

Overview

_NOTE: The pre proposal deadline indicates when concept papers are due._

About

The Michigan Health Endowment Fund is a philanthropic foundation that works to improve the health and wellness of Michigan residents while reducing healthcare costs.

The Health Fund supports organizations across Michigan, from grassroots groups addressing local health challenges to large agencies working in every county. From the urban streetscapes of downtown Detroit all the way to the rural corners of the Upper Peninsula, our partners are doing innovative, evidence-based work to improve the health and wellness of Michigan residents.

MIHEF Community Health Impact RFP

The Community Health Impact program supports bold ideas that empower communities to solve their most pressing health challenges. Grantees are health-focused and community-based, and include grassroots organizations, neighborhood groups, and small to medium nonprofits. They’re working across issues ranging from oral health to health literacy, but they all share a commitment to solutions driven by those most affected by a particular issue.

These organizations are reducing health disparities, improving health equity, building community-wellness, increasing social integration for marginalized populations, bolstering community support systems, and expanding community engagement efforts. By responding to community needs and drawing on the expertise of lived experience, they’re building stronger, healthier communities throughout Michigan.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

_We've imported the main document for this grant to give you an overview. You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's [website]().
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Application Details

2025 COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPACT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
GRANT TIMELINE
MAY 5, 2025 Grant portal open for applications
Concept Papers (required — 2 pages max) due by
JUNE 4, 2025
email at 5 p.m.
JULY 15, 2025 Proposals due at 5 p.m.
NOVEMBER 2025 Awards announced
DECEMBER 1, 2025 Earliest start date for funded projects
Click here to register for our webinar on May 21, when we will provide more information and
answer common questions.
A. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Community Health Impact Initiative supports health-focused, community-based
organizations with bold ideas that empower communities to solve their most pressing health
issues and successfully implement health-focused, community-driven interventions.
These grants are intended to support stronger, healthier communities around the state by being
responsive to community needs. We are strongly prioritizing support for grassroots
organizations, neighborhood groups, and small and medium-sized nonprofits.
We’re interested in projects that will have a lasting impact in a community and favor proposals
that show a strong collaborative effort between organizations with a shared vision or goal to
address the health issue. Successful applications will also be able to demonstrate how the work
will continue in the community past the grant period. Letters of support from collaborative
partners committed to the project’s success and sustainability will strengthen applications.
We estimate a total grantmaking budget of approximately $1 million in 2025 and expect a highly
competitive grant round.
TOPICS
Proposals should focus on eliminating health disparities, improving health equity, building
community wellness, increasing social integration for marginalized populations, bolstering
community support systems, and expanding health-related community engagement efforts.
Specific topics might include but are not limited to proposals to improve oral health access,
health literacy, health-related transportation, or environmental health.
Proposals related to the priorities of our Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles, Behavioral Health,
Healthy Aging, and Maternal and Infant Health programs will not be considered under
Community Health Impact. Organizations should wait until those cycles are open to apply.

ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY
We know that those who experience a health issue often have a clear understanding of their own
challenges and needs, and our Community Health Impact Initiative funds programs where those
affected are helping drive the solutions. Proposals should demonstrate that the community and
partner organizations have asked for this programming, that it is specific to their community, and
that it addresses specific health issues.
Applicants are required to work with community members in the planning, design, and/or
implementation of the program, and proposals that fail to describe how this will happen are not
likely to be competitive. Proposals that clearly demonstrate intentional partnership with
community members will be prioritized. Applicants may access tools to help them develop their
community engagement plans here.
Projects should target a specific place such as a neighborhood, school(s), city, county, or region
and/or a specific group within a defined geography. Applicants will be asked to provide
qualitative or quantitative community-level data, when possible, to identify and explain the
health need.
B. ELIGIBILITY AND GRANT AMOUNT
ELIGIBILITY
Nonprofits, local units of government, federally recognized Tribes, and the State of Michigan are
eligible for grants. To be eligible to apply for a grant under this initiative, applicants must:
R Be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization;
R Serve Michigan residents;
R Have a current certified financial audit or independently reviewed financial statements;
and
R Have at least one paid FTE (e.g., one full-time employee or two half-time employees)
NOTE ON ORGANIZATION SIZE
Larger organizations or those with capacity to implement work through discretionary dollars are
less likely to be funded through this initiative. This approach allows us to equitably support
initiatives where external funding is more critical to success.
We expect that the primary applicant in this grant program will be a community-based
organization unless a fiduciary is required. Projects that include partnerships with a university or
health system should be submitted under the community-based organization’s name.
EXCLUDED FROM FUNDING CONSIDERATION
X Clinical research X Tuition costs and related fees
X Loans X Organizations that discriminate
X Health-related emergencies* because of age, race, ethnic origin,
religion, sexual orientation, disability,
X Capital projects and major equipment
or gender
purchases, including vehicles
X Litigation *The Health Fund might in some
situations consider support to address
X Ongoing program operations and
longer-term rebuilding or other needs
staffing
following emergency situations.
X Lobbying activities
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BUDGET CONSIDERATIONS
Grant requests may not exceed a maximum budget of $200,000. Grants can be up to 2
years in duration, but the total request is limited to $200,000.
The Health Fund recognizes the importance of supporting indirect expenses and
encourages organizations to request the maximum amount to support those costs.
Applicant organizations with operating budgets of less than $10 million may request indirect
costs up to 30% of the total grant budget. Applicant organizations with operating budgets at
or above $10 million may request indirect costs up to 20% of the total grant budget. The
percentage is based on the primary applicant’s operating budget size. We expect the
indirect cost line item to include indirect costs for all project partners.
C. APPLICATION PROCESS
STEP 1: CONCEPT PAPER, REQUIRED
Applicants are required to submit a two-page concept paper for feedback prior to receiving
an invitation to submit a full proposal. Concept papers that are competitive will receive an
invitation to submit a full proposal. Non-competitive concept papers will not be invited to
apply.
Due to the grant program's high demand and competitive nature, this step allows applicants
to refine invited proposals, while preventing others from investing significant time on
applications not aligned with our funding priorities.
Please note that concept papers longer than two pages will not be accepted.
The concept paper should include the following sections in this order:
• Organization name and mission
• Project information:
o Title
o Brief description of health issue being addressed
o Project description
o List of key partners and their role
o How the project will continue to live on in the community once the grant period
ends
o Estimated budget (no detailed breakdown required, just tell us what the budget
will cover and the total amount you intend to request).
Send your concept papers to grants@mihealthfund.org by 5:00 p.m. on June 4, 2025.
STEP 2: APPLICATION, BY INVITATION ONLY
Applications must be submitted through the Health Fund’s grants portal after confirmation of
invitation by our staff. While the grantee portal does not have a word limit function, please
limit the total narrative to the equivalent of eight single spaced pages using standard 12-
point type and one-inch margins. Attachments do not count toward the eight-page limit.
Full proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. on July 15, 2025.
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D. MORE INFORMATION AND FURTHER QUESTIONS
HELPFUL HINTS
• Clearly explain your project and the issues it will address. Be prepared to describe
the who, what, where, when, and how of the initiative. Limit the use of buzzwords
and jargon throughout your proposal in favor of plain language that accurately
describes your intended impact.
• Community input leads to stronger programs. Reviewers will be looking for projects
that clearly and directly respond to issues identified by communities and involve
community input in the process. Think beyond surveys or needs assessments and
invite those you serve to have a seat at the table in the planning, design,
implementation, and/or evaluation of your program to ensure an equitable approach,
promote engagement, and improve outcomes.
• Collaboration is essential. The most effective programs we support often involve
multiple community partners. We’ll look at whether you’re engaged with relevant
stakeholders, and how their participation is informing your proposal.
• Health outcomes are key. Connect the dots and tell us how your activities will lead to
better health for members of the community. Select outcomes that will help you
know how your grant is doing. The outcomes you choose to measure should be
related to your grant activities, should change over time, and can be qualitative or
quantitative. Please click here for more information about the Community Health
Impact outcomes.
• Impact beyond the grant. Describe how the project has the potential to achieve long-
term impact by implementing effective models, supporting needed innovation, is
time-limited by design, or developing programs that can be sustainably funded or
implemented beyond the completion of the grant.
For more information:
• Read the Community Health Impact program page
• View our FAQ
• View the application worksheet to preview the application questions and required
documents
• Check out our list of resources for health data, models of collaboration, and other
tools
• Check out our resource for the Community Health Impact outcome measures. If you
have additional questions about how to select an outcome measure, please contact
Veronica Marchese (veronica@mihealthfund.org).
If you have further questions, please contact us at grants@mihealthfund.org. The Health
Fund Board of Directors has sole responsibility for all grant decisions.
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