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Health Fund Fact Sheet

Endowed in 1986 by the Kansas West Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Health Fund is charged with advancing health, healing, and wholeness throughout Kansas. The foundation awards grants totaling more than $3 million each year and has invested over $50 million in the health of Kansans since it was founded. Grants have supported a wide variety of health-related projects over the years, and from 2003 through 2009 have focused on three important health issues: oral health, access to healthcare, and healthy lifestyles through physical activity and nutrition. This fact sheet has been prepared to provide an overview of the Health Fund’s current work in its three areas of focus.

Cake commemorating $50 million in grants awarded
At the March 5, 2009 Board meeting, incoming Board Chair Rev. Lance Carrithers, Dodge City, retiring Board Chair Janet Hamilton-Newton, Hutchinson, and Health Fund President Kim Moore present the Board with a cake commemorating over $50 million in total grants awarded during the Fund's existence.
In addition to these strategic focus areas, the Fund continues its long-standing support of congregational health ministries in Kansas United Methodist churches through its Healthy Congregations initiative, including the new Healthy Congregations Covenant program.

This is an exciting time for the Health Fund and a time of transition. In 2009, we evaluated the three focus areas of our funding since 2003, planning for the best way to use our resources to advance health, healing, and wholeness in the future. The 2009 "Think of the Possibilities Funding" RFP offered grants for access to primary care and specific children's health issues. We received 82 Letters of Intent and have invited full proposals from 18 of those which submitted an LOI.

The results of the 2009 strategic planning process indicated opportunities to generate the greatest positive impact on health in the following areas: access to health care, children's mental health, and healthy lifestyles for young children and their families. The Health Fund will award grants totaling approximately $2 million in each of the three focus areas over the next three years.

Oral health has been a major emphasis of the Health Fund since the 1998 launch of the Fund's Healthy Teeth for Kansans initiative. Although it will continue to help sustain efforts increasing access to dental care, particularly with workforce issues, the Fund will not be developing new initiatives in oral health through 2012.

We thank the many Kansans who participated in our strategic planning process, providing insight on health issues and offering ideas on how the Health Fund might improve health outcomes for Kansans. 

Oral Health

Total grants: 256 grants totaling $9,163,962

A few of the efforts supported by oral health grants since the Healthy Teeth for Kansans initiative started in 1998 include the following:

Access to Healthcare

Total grants: 177 grants totaling $10,954,785

Coming from the sale of a hospital founded and supported by the United Methodist Church, access to healthcare is at the root of the Health Fund and was the focus of many of the first grants awarded by the Health Fund. A few examples of grants to improve access to healthcare in Kansas follow:

Healthy Lifestyles

Total grants: 146 grants totaling $3,380,770

Recognizing that personal daily choices around physical activity and nutrition create the foundation for health and wellness, Health Fund trustees committed to focusing funding in this area in 2003. Grants have targeted improvements in places where people live, work, play, and worship to model and encourage healthy choices.

October 2009