The Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Michigan Foundation gives approximately $2.75 million a year in grants to support research and nonprofit community organizations. BCBS of Michigan Foundation focuses mainly on quality and cost of care, access to care, and community health.
Currently, the BCBS of Michigan Foundation is going to award grants through their “Enhancing Primary Care in Michigan’s Safety Net Organizations”. The goal is to develop or adapt an innovative healthcare delivery model to help safety net organizations improve service delivery and quality.
Projects may include but are not limited to:
- Implementing team-based care models that incorporate physician extenders
- Implementing innovative patient navigation, disease management, and/or care coordination systems
- Developing clinic-based initiatives to address the social determinants of health
- Implementing innovative information technology systems
- Eliminating barriers to care in innovative ways such as using mobile clinics
- Integrating primary care and behavioral health services
Eligible applicants must be 501(c) (3) safety net providers located in Michigan specifically from free clinics, hybrid clinics, FQHCs, FQHC look-alikes, tribal health centers, and rural health clinics.
Funding for $250,000 is available with five awards. Applicants must submit a letter of interest by February 14, 2014 to Enhancing Primary Care in Michigan’s Safety Net, BCBS of Michigan, 600 E. Lafayette, Mail Code L1OC, Detroit Michigan 48226. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by April 1, 2014.
In addition, the BCBS of Michigan Foundation’s “Community Health Matching” program is currently offering grants to community-based nonprofit organizations to develop, test, and evaluate new approaches to address community health problems.
Proposed projects should address one or more topics concerning access to healthcare, critical public health issues, and/or healthcare quality. Also wanted are projects dealing with healthcare efficiency in order to achieve the best possible outcome for the lowest possible cost.
Eligible applicants can include nonprofit organizations based in Michigan. Applicants are encouraged to partner with healthcare organizations, universities, research, or government agencies to develop projects
In total $500,000 is available with matching funds required. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
For more information on the grants, go to https://www.bcbsm.com/foundation.