NEW: 3 Worcester Orgs Awarded $76,750 by Harvard Pilgrim Health

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

GoLocalProv News Team

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation announced Wednesday that $2.8 million in grants was awarded to nearly 650 nonprofit organizations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine in 2013.

Three Worcester organizations were among the recipients – Mosakowski Institute at Clark University (Community Conversations Series, $11,750), Regional Environmental Council (Mobile Farmers Market, $30,000) and Worcester Public Library Foundation (Tatnuck Magnet Elementary School library and garden, $35,000).

A total of $1.5 million in grants was distributed to the Foundation’s Growing Up Healthy initiatives in the region, primarily for programs that promote nutrition, healthy eating, and physical activity to help prevent childhood obesity. Close to 8 % of children in the region, ages 6-12 years, as well as 152 pediatric practices and providers, are involved in activities funded by the Foundation’s Growing Up Healthy initiatives.

The Foundation awarded $550,000 in grants to close to 600 organizations in 227 communities through Harvard Pilgrim’s employee-sponsored Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grants program. Areas of support included schools, food pantries, youth development organizations, fundraising events and others. The Foundation contributed $25,000, in addition to Harvard Pilgrim employee contributions made through the company’s employee fund raising campaign, to Camp Sunshine in Casco, Maine; Boston Healthcare for the Homeless; and United Ways of New England. The Foundation also contributed $15,000, in addition to the $73,000 in employee generated contributions, to The One Fund following the Boston Marathon bombings, and a total of $10,000 to Family & Children’s Aid in Newtown, Conn., in response to the Sandy Hook shootings.

The Foundation also contributed $720,000 in services through its Culture InSight initiative. Culture InSight addresses health disparities by providing cultural competency consulting and training to health and human service professionals and organizations across the region. The five current clients are: Neighborhood Health Plan of Boston; Mass in Motion; Advocates Inc. in Framingham, Mass.; Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership in Portland, Maine; and the New Hampshire Health & Equity Partnership.

“Building healthy communities and improving the quality and value of health care for the people and communities we serve starts with providing the tools, training and leadership these organizations need to succeed,” said Karen Voci, Executive Director of the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation. “The Foundation’s grant and training programs are focused on matching our resources with programs that support the mission of building strong, healthy communities and have the greatest capacity for impact. We are very proud of our efforts to help these organizations combat childhood obesity, create health equality throughout the region, and improve the overall health of our communities.”

A summary of the Foundation’s 2013 major grant recipients is included below:

2013 Regional Grant Recipients (MA, ME, & NH)

ChildObesity180 (Tufts University), Healthy Kids Out of School program
MaineHealth (Portland), Let’s Go! Healthcare
Public school systems (Mass., Maine, N.H.), Healthy School Food Champions Grants Program

2013 Massachusetts Grant Recipients

Boys and Girls Clubs (Boston), CATCH curriculum training for staff at five clubs
Brandeis University (Waltham), Massachusetts Health Policy Forum on Health Equity
City Year (Boston), Holland Elementary School in Dorchester
Cradles to Crayons (Brighton), Ready-for-School backpack campaign
Mosakowski Institute at Clark University (Worcester), Community Conversations Series
Regional Environmental Council (Worcester), Mobile Farmers Market
Worcester Public Library Foundation (Worcester), Tatnuck Magnet Elementary School library and garden

2013 Maine Grant Recipients

City Year (Portland), Presumpscott Elementary School
The Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges (S. Portland), Agricultural Sciences program at Kennebec Valley Community College

2013 New Hampshire Grant Recipients