Interact for Health announced recently that it has joined the BUILD Health Challenge, a national awards program supporting Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local and Data-driven community health interventions in low-income urban neighborhoods. Founded by Advisory Board, the de Beaumont Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, the Kresge Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the BUILD Health Challenge strengthens partnerships between local nonprofit organizations, hospitals and health systems, and local health departments to improve the health and well-being of their communities.
In this new round of funding and support, the BUILD Health Challenge will spread its upstream approach and broaden its impact to more communities. One of the 18 awards made during this round of funding will be made in Greater Cincinnati in the amount of $250,000 over a two-year period for a project in Interact for Health’s 20-county service area.
“The BUILD Health Challenge has been incredibly successful, with exactly the type of bold, local, data- driven projects that change communities,” said Rachel Keller Eisman, executive director of the BUILD Health Challenge. “By adding new funders with more regional and issue expertise, we can further hone approaches that demonstrably improve the health of communities.”
The initial BUILD communities are off to a great start–from serving up sustainable food systems, to repairing houses, addressing safety and violence, and preventing lead poisoning. In the next round, the BUILD Health Challenge will broaden its impact. The program will continue supporting the partnerships needed to forge meaningful improvement in the health of communities, expanding the research and knowledge base for community health interventions, and distilling learnings into best practices that others can use.
“Interact for Health is focused on building healthy communities for all people,” said Dr. O’dell Owens, president and CEO of Interact for Health. “Through our sponsorship of the Build Health Challenge, we can address health inequities in our region by fostering the type of community collaboration necessary to create system level change, while providing the best practice guidance and technical assistance this unique partnership offers.”
Application Process:
To be eligible, organizations must be a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit community organization with a partnership including (at minimum) a hospital or health system and a local health department. While national applicants are limited to communities of 150,000 residents or more, smaller communities in the Greater Cincinnati region are eligible to apply. Organizations jointly applying for a BUILD Health Challenge award should have a strong track record of working together and have developed their joint priorities and implementation plans with strong levels of community engagement and leadership.
Sample activities could include, but are not limited to:
- Advancing local policy solutions that will create better opportunities for health
- Expanding the range of committed partners to bring complementary sets of expertise, resources,
and capacities to the table
- Supporting staff to manage the initiative, organize the community, and keep all partners on track
(sometimes referred to as the “backbone organization” or “quarterback”)
- Developing robust data-sharing agreements to inform intervention strategies and track results for
continuous improvement
- Engaging community members to inform strategy and guide activities
- Strategic communications and program evaluation
Interested communities and organizations can learn about eligibility requirements during one of the informational webinars starting next week:
- Tuesday, Jan. 31: Informational webinar for applicants
- The application period begins Jan. 10 and applications are due Feb. 21.
- To view the call for applications and register for the informational webinars, visit buildhealthchallenge.org/application.
About Interact for Health:
Interact for Health is focused on building healthy communities for all people. We serve as a catalyst for health and wellness by promoting healthy living through grants, education, research, policy, and engagement. Interact for Health is an independent foundation that serves 20 counties in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. More information can be found at www.interactforhealth.org.
About the Build Health Challenge
The BUILD Health Challenge is a national awards program supporting “bold, upstream, integrated, local, and data-driven” (BUILD) community health interventions in low-income, urban neighborhoods. The BUILD Health Challenge strengthens partnerships between local nonprofit organizations, hospitals and health systems, and local health departments to improve the health and well-being of their communities. For more information, visit BUILD Health Challenge or follow at @BUILD_Health.