Children’s Minnesota’s Collective for Community Health is pleased to announce the first recipients of its Community Health Innovation Fund grants, totaling $500,000.
The new fund is an innovative partnership with Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, focused on community-led initiatives to reduce pediatric health disparities across physical, dental and mental health. The grants allow Children’s Minnesota to support organizations that work to advance health equity and other health priorities for children and families identified in the organization’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment.
2024 grantees
Earlier this year, select non-profit organizations in Minnesota were invited to apply for a one-year Community Health Innovation Fund grant, focused on community-led, culturally specific health programs. In consultation with Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, grant applications were reviewed and grantees selected by the Children’s Minnesota Community Advisory Council, a group comprised of local community leaders and several Children’s Minnesota representatives that inform Children’s Minnesota’s community health efforts. The grantee organizations represent a range of diverse communities and community health issues that impact children and families.
Join us in congratulating this year’s grant recipients!
The Birth Justice Collaborative launched in 2022 and is an African American and American Indian led coalition advancing maternal health and birth justice in our communities. The grant will support the general operations of the Birth Justice Collaborative, including a Post Partum Home Visiting pilot program and planning for culturally specific birthing supports for African American and American Indian families.
Children’s Dental Services provides dental services to children from infancy to age 26, pregnant women, and people of all ages, regardless of family income. This grant will support increasing dental access for low-income children, focusing on Native American, new immigrant and refugee communities. Services include culturally tailored, trauma-informed emergency, endodontia/root canal therapy services and dental care that requires general anesthesia.
CLUES is Minnesota’s largest Latino-led nonprofit organization with the mission to advance social and economic equity and well-being for Latinos by building upon our strengths and cultures, uplifting our community, and enabling leadership for systemic change. The grant will support navigation services at CLUES’ new Family Wellness Center to empower Latino families and increase access to the rich resources that CLUES and external agencies offer.
The Division of Indian Work has been a key contributor to the Native community for over 70 years with the mission to support and strengthen urban American Indian people through culturally based education, traditional healing approaches, and leadership development. This grant will support growth and expansion of the Maternal and Child Health Program, focused on enabling Indigenous mothers, babies and families to build a life that is physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually healthy by returning to traditional ways of being.
Inspire Change Clinic is a women and minority-led clinic providing evidence- based, culturally directed holistic health services to enhance healthcare accessibility, remove barriers, and improve health literacy in marginalized communities. The grant will support the peer-to-peer Motherhood Circle and culturally specific vaccine education and outreach.
Native American Community Clinic
Since 2003, Native American Community Clinic has worked to address health disparities within the urban Native American community of the Twin Cities by promoting the health & wellness of mind, body, and spirit of Native American families. This grant will support the continued delivery of integrated health services, including medical, behavioral health, chemical health, traditional/cultural healing, care coordination and dental care as well as community engagement events.
Launched in 2021, QUEERSPACE collective is the first mentorship program created specifically for LGBTQ+ youth in Minnesota. This grant will support activities related to their new LGBTQIA+ Youth Center, including resource navigation focused on the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth.
The mission of Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota is to maintain the identity of Minnesota’s Vietnamese community while addressing the basic economic, education, and health needs of refugees and immigrants statewide and promoting healthy and thriving communities. This grant will support a comprehensive project to address key health related social needs including access to nutritious food, physical activity, healthcare services and health education.
About the Collective for Community Health
We know that 80% of what impacts the health of children happens outside the clinic walls. That is why Children’s Minnesota created the Collective for Community Health which aims to improve the health of children and families – both inside and outside of our hospitals and clinics. We know we cannot do this work alone and we are dedicated to partnering with community organizations and policymakers to make a meaningful impact with the communities we serve.
About Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation
Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation supports optimal oral and overall health outcomes while advancing social equities by expanding access to dental care and investing in the communities across Minnesota.
