The Cigna Foundation is accepting applications for its health and well-being grant program until 5:00 p.m. ET, September 16.
The Cigna Foundation is committed to eliminating health disparities and improving health and well-being for all. They wish to partner with nonprofits who are addressing the root causes of health inequity, including supporting under-resourced and systemically disadvantaged communities with poor social determinants of health (SDOH).
Eligible applicants must:
- Align funding request with the Community Health Implementation Plan (CHIP) for your community, which accompanies the local Community Needs Assessment (CNA) or Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). To find your community’s plan, visit your local hospital system’s or health department’s website or conduct an internet search.
- Request between $50,000 and $100,000 per year. Multi-year requests are accepted but terms will be limited to three years; grants will be reviewed annually to ensure goals are being met as outlined.
- Be a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. See the Grant FAQs for more information.
According to research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry, individuals with mental disorders have a reduced life expectancy of approximately 10 to 20 years. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that individuals with depression have a 1.8 times higher risk of premature mortality. Depression also increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness. Unfortunately, these challenges are compounded by an overall shortage of mental health professionals.
Mental health issues are even more pronounced in ethnic minority communities. Ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation minorities often suffer from poor mental health outcomes.
These poor mental outcomes are due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high-quality mental health care services, cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.
Grants should address at least one if not more of the following programmatic areas, specifically in ethnic minority and underserved populations:
- Suitable care that provides access to mental health services and addresses depression, stress, anxiety, and promotes resiliency and mental well-being.
- Programs addressing the shortage of mental health care professionals.
- Cultural competency and awareness training for healthcare providers that addresses the stigma associated with seeking mental health care.
Proposals received by the deadline of September 16, 2022 by 5:00 p.m. ET will be evaluated on all of the following criteria:
- Relevance to helping achieve shared goal(s) and objective(s) for the selected health inequity or inequities
- Ability to track racial and ethnic groups served, as well as gender, age group, and geography
- Regular evaluation and application of learnings for continuous improvement
- Explanation of the estimated budget
For full grant details please visit the Cigna Foundation’s grant information page.
