Aetna Foundation Regional Grants

The Aetna Foundation’s Regional Grants fund community wellness initiatives that serve those who are most at risk for poor health -- low-income, underserved or minority populations.

Grants target communities where healthy food can be difficult to buy, and where social and environmental factors may limit individuals’ ability to be physically active. Projects of interest include: school based or after-school nutrition and fitness programs, community-based nutrition education programs for children and families, community gardening and urban farming activities for children and families and efforts to increase the availability or affordability of fresh fruits and vegetables in communities.

Grants ranging from $25,000 to $40,000 are available.

Deadline: September 15, 2013

Please contact The Aetna Foundation’s for more information and to apply for this funding: http://www.aetna-foundation.org/foundation/apply-for-a-grant/regional-grants/index.html

Kellogg Foundation’s Youth and Community Engagement Grants

The Kellogg Foundation seeks to fund organizations working to promote new ideas about how to engage children and youth in learning and ways to bring together community-based systems that promote learning. The foundation will consider grants in four priority areas: Educated Kids, Healthy Kids, Secure Families, and Civic Engagement.

Deadline: Rolling

Check out the Kellogg program site for all the information, but there are several educative aspects that libraries could spearhead or participate in.The three main areas - with links - are:

Educated kids e.g., success by the Third Grade: Increase the number of children who are reading and math proficient by third grade. 

Healthy kids e.g., healthy birth weight and optimal development: Increase the number of children born at a healthy birth weight and who receive the care and nutrition they need for optimal development. 

Secure families e.g., children and Families at 200% above poverty: Increase the number of children and families living at least 200% above the poverty level.

AMA Foundation Healthy Living Grant Program

The American Medical Association Foundation, with support from the AMA AllianceExternal Link, is offering grants of up to $8,000 to address critical health issues with its Healthy Living Grant Program.

Grants support projects in the area of prescription drug safety, including educational and awareness programs about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, targeted to children, parents or schools. 

This initiative supports grassroots organizations who are on the front lines in their communities. These grants provide critical funding that can jumpstart a project, affect change quickly, increase visibility for a project/organization, encourage collaboration and make a lasting difference in a community. 

Because this is a grassroots focus, applicant organizations must have annual operating budgets less than $2 million.

Deadline:  July 16, 2012. 

CT Health Foundation Health Leadership Fellows Program

CT Health Foundation established the Health Leadership Fellows Program to create leaders and change agents through who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to recognize and seize opportunities to act for health equity.

To close the gap caused by racial and ethnic health disparities, communities need strong leaders who can advocate for policy decisions that influence health-related issues and health care.

"The Health Leadership Fellows program brings together diverse yet like-minded individuals from multiple sectors that are dedicated to achieving health equity. The Program consists of seminars, weekend retreats, a group leadership project, and outside coursework that foster a learning-intensive environment for the participants to challenge themselves and each other."

Twenty participants will be selected for the program. Eligible candidates should demonstrate a commitment to achieving health quality in the state of Connecticut.

Deadline: April 2, 2012.

Qué Rica Vida website

The Qué Rica Vida website is General Mills' food and lifestyle website for Spanish speakers, specifically targeting Latina moms. It's maybe a little something to link to on a slow day.

Qué Rica Vida (which translates to “What a Rich and Wonderful Life”) is a program that provides tips on healthy living to the Spanish-speaking population in the United States. It also includes a magazine, health seminars and a Spanish language. 

There's also an app for that.

New Alliance Foundation: 43 CT towns eligible

The NewAllianceFoundation is an independent charitable foundation that provides financial support to charitable organizations that operate in any of the 43 towns they serve (see below for the magical list) and that address community needs in four key areas, all of which can involve libraries: the arts, community development, and youth & education plus a health & human services area (which mentions health literacy as one example). A segment is also targeted toward “programs which empower people through the development of literacy skills.”

NAF considers requests for program support, some sponsorships, capital campaigns, and even unrestricted general operating requests. 

The 43 towns: Branford, Centerbrook, Cheshire, Chester, Clinton, Columbia, Coventry, Danielson, Dayville, East Hartford, Ellington, Enfield, Essex, Glastonbury, Guilford, Hamden, Hartford, Hebron, Madison, Manchester, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Old Saybrook, Orange, Putnam, Seymour, South Windsor, Stafford Springs, Storrs, Tolland, Vernon, Wallingford, West Hartford, West Haven, Westbrook, Wethersfield, Willington, Willimantic, Windsor, Woodbridge, Woodstock.