PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Public, private, vocational, parochial, and charter schools throughout West Virginia and Pennsylvania are invited to apply for the three offerings of the Highmark Foundation’s Creating a Healthy School Environment Grant and Awards Program.
Now entering its fourth year, the program has provided more than $1.2 million of support to schools in communities served by Highmark Inc. in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, according to Highmark Foundation President Yvonne Cook.
“We are pleased to continue this grant and awards program for the benefit of our children’s health and education. We encourage all eligible schools to apply,” said Cook.
The foundation is now accepting applications for the 2016-2017 program, which will make available a total of $375,000 for schools grades K-12 in Pennsylvania ($300,000) and West Virginia ($75,000). The grant area excludes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.
- Building Sustainable and Lasting Changes in Schools grant funding ranges from $5,000-10,000 per school district to support evidence-based programs that address one of four priority areas: bullying prevention, child injury prevention, healthy eating and physical activity, or environmental health. As a requirement for funding, grant recipients must provide measureable pre-and post-program intervention status reports. Application deadline: March 18, 2016.
- Advancing Excellence in School Nursing awards recognize the important role school nurses play in adolescent health and wellness. Up to six school nurses will be presented this honor, accompanied by $1,500 to be used for professional development or school resources. Application deadline: March 31, 2016.
- Meeting Health Needs through Supportive Services grants are part of a strategy to support economically disadvantaged school districts and high-needs schools with financial assistance to meet basic health requests. $75,000 will be provided to schools in $1,000 grant increments to assist with the purchase of items impacting student health. Rolling application period through December 31, 2016.
The goal of the program is to create healthier school environments that experience positive, sustainable, and lasting change through comprehensive strategies.
“The Highmark Foundation recognizes that schools are powerful places to shape the health, safety, education, and well-being of children, as a result, we created a multi-faceted program to provide them with the funding resources they need to create healthier and safer school environments,” said Cook. “This strategy is aligned with the Highmark Foundation’s mission, goals, and focus that illustrate the effectiveness of early intervention and preventive health programs.”
Creating a Healthy School Environment Grant and Awards Program applications are available at: https://highmarkfoundationrfp.versaic.com. Create an account and follow the instructions to submit an application. All applications must be submitted online.
About the Highmark Foundation
The Highmark Foundation is a private, charitable organization of Highmark Inc. that supports initiatives and programs aimed at improving community health. The Foundation’s mission is to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals who reside in the communities served by Highmark Inc. The Foundation strives to support evidence-based programs that impact multiple counties and work collaboratively to leverage additional funding to achieve replicable models. For more information, visit www.highmarkfoundation.org.
