Health Foundation of South Florida is transformed its responsive grantmaking program. The Board and staff engaged in a lengthy process to strategically identify priority health areas aligned with the Foundation’s mission and goals. Our priority-focused responsive grantmaking approach was created in response to the commitment of the Foundation to create greater measurable impact in the health status of the residents of South Florida.

Our priority funding areas are:

• Primary care
• Healthy lifestyle promotion
• Preventive health measures
• Oral Health

Health Foundation of South Florida will provide 80% of its responsive grant funding for these new priority funding areas. We will continue to support a broad range of community health needs with the remainder of the annual responsive grant budget. Our aim is to develop dynamic new partnerships with grantees and work jointly with funders.

The following responsive grantmaking document is available for your review: HFSF Grant Application Guide. This guide features the areas of interest, potential types of projects, evidence-based program models, sample outcome objectives as well as links to required forms.

The Foundation awards Responsive Grants through two grant cycles per year. With exceptions, the Foundation focuses on providing one to three year grants that do not exceed $300,000 annually. Please note that the majority of grants are funded in the $50,000 to $150,000 range over one or two years. Funding is provided in four categories: Project Planning; Health Services; Organizational Capacity Building and Health System/Health Policy Development. Each of the following categories is tailored to suit different types of projects:

1. Project Planning: Grants between $5,000 and $20,000 are available to support the planning of projects requiring further research/investigation, outside expertise or significant inter-agency collaboration. The goal of Project Planning is to incorporate the required information into a successful, full project-related proposal or to determine that the project should be postponed or not carried out.

Project Planning grants were created in response to receiving proposals that did not include sufficient literature review, environmental scanning (investigation into the best practice models, strategies and success rates of others conducting similar work locally and nationally), baseline data to measure progress, outcome indicators, sustainability planning and input from experts in the given field. Without these components, proposals are declined.

2. Health Services: Grants are provided to support projects that increase access to preventive, primary, oral and behavioral health service and/or promote healthy lifestyles such as regular physical activity and nutritious eating habits. Proposed projects should be designed to improve individual and our community health outcomes.

Examples of Health Services grants are:

• Start-up primary care or dental clinic
• Adoption of an evidenced based service model for substance abusing adolescents
• Healthy lifestyle promotion initiative within elementary schools
• Primary care outreach and engagement in order to increase clinic patients

3. Organizational Capacity Building: Program excellence requires a strong organization with a well-developed management infrastructure. Organizational Capacity Building enables organizations to identify their own management priorities for strengthening or expanding management operations.

This category provides support to organizations with a clear plan for increasing their effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability. This may include, but is not limited to, program design, development and evaluation, business planning for revenue-generating activities, marketing and communications, financial management, resource development, board development, executive leadership training, strategic planning as well as technology and information systems.

Examples of Organizational Capacity Building:

• Staff training for certification, licensing and new skill sets.
• Medical and administration equipment, electronic record systems, computer hardware and software, outfitting examination rooms, dental chairs and telephone systems.
• Development of a clinical manual for a behavioral health service providing organization
• Planning consultants for operational, technological or financial.
• Expenses for recruiting, hiring and temporary positions.
• Communications and marketing materials.
• Primary care patient flow redesign
• Renovation of medical examining rooms
• Adoption of electronic medical records

4. Health System/Health Policy Development: Grants are provided to agencies supporting a variety of activities specifically designed to improve public policies, infrastructure and/or inter-agency procedures leading to increased system effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and overall capacity.

Examples of health system/healthy policy requests:

• Expand eligibility for a public health program
• Increase public awareness about a health issue
• Reduce the inappropriate use of emergency care services

To see if your charitable organization's grant request meets the basic criteria for funding, please use the following questions as a guideline.

• Is the organization a tax-exempt nonprofit under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code or a local or state governmental agency?
• Does the project serve exclusively the residents of Broward, Miami-Dade and/or Monroe Counties?
• Are the project's goals, processes and outcomes clear and measurable?
• Is the project aligned with best practice approaches or principles?
• Will the project's budget fully explain how the Foundation's funds will be used?
• Will the project be supported by other private, public and/or community resources?
• Will the project increase the effectiveness/efficiency of health care promotion and services?
• Will the project's benefits continue beyond Health Foundation's funding?

The Responsive Grant application process has two steps.

Step 1- Preliminary Proposal

Preliminary proposals may be submitted to Health Foundation of South Florida either by sending two hard copies of the completed form or e-mailing Eliane Morales at emorales@hfsf.org. Please note that although we welcome proposal applications anytime, the applications are reviewed on a semi-annual basis. Standard 8-1/2 x 11 paper and a font size of 12 should be used. Please refer to the Grant Cycle Timeline for due dates.

The Foundation will review your organizational information and the project description and determine whether the proposed project is appropriately aligned with HFSF goals and objectives. Organizations are then notified in writing of the Foundation's decision. For those projects deemed appropriate, an invitation to submit a full grant proposal is issued.

For more information on the Preliminary Proposal, please visit the Applicant Section of the Grant Toolbox where you will be able to view the preliminary proposal application form.

Step 2- Full Proposal

For those organizations invited to submit a full proposal, corresponding instructions will be provided.

To preview the full proposal application instructions, please visit our website and refer to the Applicant Section of the Grant Toolbox.

Proposal Review All full proposals are reviewed by Foundation Board members, staff and outside professionals with expertise in the subject area. Site visits are usually a part of the proposal review process. The merits of each proposal are discussed at a Board grant committee meeting and then presented to the full Board for a final funding decision.

For additional information, please call 305.374.7200.

October 2008 Grant Cycle

October 2008 Grant Cycle
October 20	Preliminary Proposals due
November 3	Invitations to submit a full proposal are issued
December 8	Full Proposals due
Jan 5- Jan 23	Site Visits
March	Funding announcement

March 2009 Grant Cycle
March 13	Preliminary Proposals due
March 27	Invitations/Declinations to submit full proposals are issued
April TBD	Grantee Training
April 24th	Full Proposals due
May 18 – June 5	Site Visits
July TBD	Funding announcement