KC Community Center Receives $388,187 Grant

KC Community Center Receives $388,187 Grant

(ST. LOUIS) – Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) has selected seven Missouri nonprofits to receive matching grant funds through the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service. MFH’s Board of Directors selected the seven organizations as part of the Foundation’s Social Innovation for Missouri (SIM) grant program, developed in response to the SIF award. These one-year awards will be eligible for renewal based on performance.
MFH’s SIM program helps nonprofits jointly address obesity and tobacco use, which are Missouri’s leading causes of preventable illness and premature death, especially among low-income populations. SIM funding includes a $2 million grant from SIF, $2 million in MFH match funding, and local-level match funding.
The SIM program represents the first opportunity for MFH to award grants outside its usual service region, which includes 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis. “Partnering with the federal government to expand tested, community-based programs for smoking and obesity to more areas in Missouri is a tremendous opportunity for MFH and the population it serves,” said Dr. James R. Kimmey, MFH president and chief executive officer.
“MFH already has focused substantial funding on obesity and tobacco use through two existing funding programs,” Kimmey said. “SIM provides an opportunity to build on that experience and expand efforts to more communities in Missouri, which has some of the highest smoking and obesity rates in the nation.”
The seven nonprofits MFH approved for SIM funding for year one are: Health Care Coalition of Lafayette County, Lexington, $130,601; Heartland Foundation, St. Joseph, $176,271; Independence City Health Department, Independence, $242,748; Knox County Community Center Inc., Edina, $388,187; Ozarks Regional YMCA, Springfield, $107,676; Putnam County Health Department, Unionville, $100,000; Saint Louis University, St. Louis, $157,175.
MFH’s previous obesity and tobacco funding led to partnerships with Trailnet and the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, two nonprofits with considerable experience in active living and tobacco-free policies and programming. These organizations will provide best-practice technical assistance to the seven grant recipients.
In July 2010, MFH was one of 11 U.S. grant-making organizations selected to receive Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grants. SIF is an initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which improve the lives of people in low-income U.S. communities. Through an innovative public-private partnership, SIF and local grant makers co-invest in programs that target community-based solutions to impact youth development, economic opportunity or healthy futures opportunities. Every Federal dollar invested is matched with private funds. To learn more, visit www.NationalService.gov/Innovation.