OVERVIEW: The Louisville, Kentucky-based Humana Foundation supports health equity and related research in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas. It also support disaster response and preparedness.
IP TAKE: The Humana Foundation conducts its grantmaking through a health equity lens and pays close attention to mental health and nutrition as barriers to health for many underserved communities. Humana offers grants to community organizations, seed funding for organizations doing innovative work, and support for research and evaluation of scalable programs and interventions. Giving is place-based and responsive to the specific needs of underserved communities in the foundation’s four states of interest. Note that some recent funding has supported national organizations, as well.
This is a surprisingly accessible corporate health funder. It accepts applications for its community grants and welcomes contact from others via its contact page.
PROFILE: The Humana Foundation, based in Louisville, Kentucky, was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of the health insurance company Humana Inc. It seeks to “ensure seniors, veterans and school-aged children live connected, healthy lives by removing unnecessary barriers in healthcare.” Its grantmaking stems from four stated areas of commitment: Connected Healthy Lives, the Health Equity Innovation Fund, Disaster Philanthropy and Research. This mainly gives in Kentucky, Florida, Louisiana and Texas, but organizations in other states have also received grants in recent years.
Grants for Public Health, Mental Health and Nutrition
Humana’s grantmaking works broadly to “eliminate barriers to health,” especially for marginalized and underserved communities in its geographic priority states.
- The Connected Healthy Lives grantmaking stream focuses on “expanding healthy choices for communities and creating more equitable health outcomes by working to eliminate the social and structural barriers to health.”
- Specific goals include fostering “emotional connections” and good mental health, increasing access to healthy foods and connecting people to knowledge and resources about health and preventative care.
- Grants target “local communities and trusted community organizations” and prioritize efforts to connect people to programs and resources that help them live healthier lives.
- Past grantees include the San Antonio Food Bank, the Community Foundation of Broward in Florida, Eldersource of Jacksonville, Florida and the YMCA of Louisville, Kentucky.
- This program accepts applications for funding via the foundation’s application portal. Find information and guidelines about the application process here.
- The Health Equity Innovation Fund pursues similar goals related to eliminating barriers to good health, but provides seed funding to organizations for the specific purpose of “test[ing] both interventions and solutions designed to address preventable, chronic diseases for populations facing inequity.”
- The goal of this funding program is to support “high-risk, high-reward” health equity solutions and to scale successful programs.
- This program accepts applications by invitation only, but interested grantseekers may reach out via the contact form with an introduction.
- Grants also support Research that “generate[s] knowledge that translates into practical solutions for removing barriers that prevent people from living healthy, connected lives.”
- Specific areas of interest mirror the foundation’s health, mental health and nutrition goals for its other giving streams, and may take the form evaluations of funded programs.
- Research grants may address health equity nationally or focus on regional issues in the foundation’s geographic areas of interest.
- Grantees include the University of Louisville School of Medicine, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and Cities United, which received funding for research on suicide among Black men and boys.
- This program accepts applications by invitation only, but grant seekers may introduce themselves via the foundation’s contact form.
Grants for Disaster Relief
The Humana Foundation’s Disaster Philanthropy grantmaking area supports relief for communities in times of crisis, with the goal of facilitating ” equitable, long-term health and recovery.”
- Giving from this area prioritizes “associates, facilities and Humana plan members affected by disasters” but also “responds to calls” for emergency aid in other areas of the U.S.
- Foundation grants from this program are typically matched by Humana Inc., the foundation’s parent company.
- Funding also occasionally supports preparedness, planning and training for “more equitable response to disasters.”
- Past grantees include the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the Volunteer Florida Foundation, the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, among others.
- This program is not currently accepting applications, but grantseekers should check the grant management system for relevant, timely opportunities.
Important Grant Details:
Humana’s grants range from $1,000 to $7 million, but the vast majority of its grants stay under $500,000. The foundation’s median grant size is about $100,000. In a recent year Humana made close to $25 million in grants.
- The foundation prioritizes the states of Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana and Texas — states served by its parent company — but funding has gone to national organizations as well.
- This funder prioritizes equity across all of its grantmaking and focuses on communities that face the greatest barriers to health.
- The foundation accepts applications for its Connected Healthy Lives grantmaking area and, when needs arise, for its Disaster Philanthropy grants. See the Grant Information page for the latest guidelines and due dates.
- Additional information about recent grants can be found at the foundation’s Impact page.
- The foundation welcomes contact via its contact page.
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