Access to quality, affordable healthcare is vital for leading a fulfilling, healthier life. Yet, social and systemic factors have a significant impact on our overall health. As a community-led and engaged foundation operating in a specific region of Chicago and the western Cook County suburbs, our mission is to center community context in our grantmaking, meet immediate and emergent health and wellness needs, especially for the underserved and underinsured, and catalyze long-term systems change to address the root causes of health inequities.
The Responsive Funding Grants program by this foundation aims to be agile and responsive to the immediate and evolving health and wellness needs within its service region. This includes making Responsive grants outside of general operating support for time-sensitive crises, special activities promoting health and wellness, and sponsorship for community events that encourage new ideas and innovations. The program accepts requests on a rolling basis aligned with one of five pathways: Celebrate, Collaborate, Community, Connect, and Create. These pathways support various initiatives, from sponsoring social events and collaborative health initiatives to funding special projects and activities that advance health equity, and supporting the creation of new tools or initiatives that further the foundation's mission.