Kaiser Permanente awarded $355,000 in grants to nine community organizations and nonprofits in Q4 2022 to advance access to healthcare and promote health equity. The recent grants will support programs and resources for critical community organizations, allowing them to expand the impact of social services in Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland.
Recipients of these grants were chosen because the organizations share Kaiser Permanente’s mission to improve the conditions for health and equity in the community by addressing the root causes of health, such as economic opportunity, affordable housing, safe and supportive schools, and a healthy environment.
“Kaiser Permanente is thrilled to support organizations that are committed to health and social equity,” said Ondrea McIntyre-Hall, senior director of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente, Mid-Atlantic. “These grants will increase access to healthy foods and housing, as well as support entrepreneurs of color across the region. This type of collaboration is critical to transform communities throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.”
The latest grants will support the following organizations and initiatives throughout the Mid-Atlantic region:
- The 3rd: Supports The 3rd’s Women of Color Technology accelerator, a three-month cohort program that provides Women of Color Entrepreneurs in Baltimore, MD with opportunities to develop their technical skills and to learn how to automate their services.
- CASA Inc.: Provides access to care and coverage, social services navigation support (technology advancement), and health & wellness services to increase knowledge and improve health outcomes among the LEP and immigrant residents in VA and MD.
- The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness: Funds efforts to develop a system of coordinated access to housing resources and other services across Washington, DC, Montgomery County, MD, and Prince George’s County, MD.
- Community Health and Empowerment Through Education and Research (CHEER): Provides access to care & coverage and wellness programs by expanding its health insurance enrollment period to assist more uninsured and undocumented people. In addition, CHEER will provide workshops on utilizing health care insurance and best practices for maintaining good health in D.C. and Suburban Maryland.
- Greater Washington Community Foundation: Provides funding to five school districts that will target areas to best promote the well-being and achievement of students and staff.
- Hamkae Center (NAKASEC Virginia): Supports the Asian American Small Business Counseling program which strengthen business support ecosystems and expands access to training and technical assistance for Asian American small businesses and entrepreneurs in Northern Virginia.
- Life and Discovery (The Asian American Center of Frederick): Bolsters the I-Connect4Health (IC4H) Project, which brings together health & human services entities, IT, workforce agencies, economic and social enterprises that will provide access to care and coverage, Community Health Workers on-the-job training, and career pathways into the mainstream health workforce for achieving health equity and prosperity for community at large.
- Maryland Food Bank: Equips School Pantry partners with the knowledge and resources necessary to optimally operate a successful pantry. Funding will enable Maryland Food Bank to provide food-insecure, often low-income children, families, and surrounding communities with consistent access to nutritious food.
- McFarland & Associates: Provides access to care and coverage, wellness programs, and training and education to graduate students in the use of Patient Portals to support beneficiaries in the adoption and use of personal patient portals to manage and store, access, and share personal health information with healthcare providers. The portal will serve as a strategy to improve health literacy, compliance with medical advice, and reduce the cost of care while improving health outcomes.
“Partnering with Kaiser Permanente provides such a benefit to our organization and the Women of Color entrepreneurs we serve. Kaiser Permanente supported The 3rd with one of our first grants, which allowed our organization to expand our programming and grow our community to over 190 members across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia,” said Laura Bacon, founder and CEO of The 3rd. “This year, we are happy to receive a grant from Kaiser Permanente to start a tech accelerator for Women of Color entrepreneurs. This program will support women in running their business, leveraging technology to bring more efficiency, creativity, and productivity to their work.”
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.
