Nonprofits can now Apply for Excellus BCBS Health Equity Innovation Award Funding

SYRACUSE, NY – Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is accepting applications for its 2024 Health Equity Innovation Awards, which provide funding to community-based organizations to support health and wellness programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities in upstate New York. The online application portal will open on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 10 a.m. and close on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

"The Health Equity Innovation Award funding is designed to support initiatives that confront the fundamental causes of health disparities, particularly those linked to structural racism. By providing funding for projects that tackle social, economic, and systemic issues, we aim to create a healthcare system that is fair and equitable for everyone," said Simone E. Edwards, DrPH, MPH, Vice President of Health Equity and Community Investments at Excellus BCBS.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Excellus BCBS’ 31-county service area* can apply for funding of up to $30,000.

Applications should propose innovative projects with measurable outcomes, expansion potential, and clearly outlined goals to reduce health disparities and address social disadvantages. Funding is dependent upon a project’s ability to demonstrate tangible improvement in racial and ethnic health equity.

Priority categories for the Health Equity Innovation Awards include:

• Improved maternal health outcomes
• Behavioral health or mental health conditions
• Acute and chronic disease management
• Social determinants of health such as economic stability; education access, and quality; health care access and quality; neighborhood and built environment; and social and community context

For more information and to apply, please visit the application portal here.

*Excellus BCBS’s service area includes the following 31 counties: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Cortland, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Otsego, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tompkins, Wayne and Yates counties.

 ###

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a nonprofit health plan with 1.5 million upstate New York members. The company's mission is to help people live healthier and more secure lives through access to high-quality, affordable health care. Its products and services include cost-saving prescription drug discounts, wellness tracking tools and access to telemedicine. With more than 4,200 employees, the company is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce to foster innovation and better serve its members. It also encourages employees to engage in their communities by providing paid volunteer time off as one of many benefits. To learn more, visit ExcellusBCBS.com.