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Announcing the Catalyst Grant

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The Catalyst Grant is a new grant opportunity seeking to foster a culture of innovation through small-scale projects that can accelerate and advance strategies to improve health. 

The intent of these grants is to allow health oriented organizations to think creatively and spark different ways to address the health needs of individuals served, local communities or across the state. These projects should gather information to help answer why barriers to health persist and/or pilot new solutions to address those challenges.

The Catalyst Grant was initially piloted during the Foundation’s spring 2019 funding cycle, with the following organizations being selected to receive the first Catalyst Grants. The Foundation is excited to learn ways we can spur innovation and challenge the status quo to improve the health of South Carolinians from these projects as well as future Catalyst Grant projects.

Children’s Trust of South Carolina – This project will begin to cultivate a list of informed policies and practices to advance race equity and inclusion for organizations across the state to adopt and implement. This list will be promoted through the South Carolina Race Equity and Inclusion Partnership.

Fact Forward (formerly the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy) – This project will improve adolescent reproductive health by developing a more specific and tailored professional development strategy for pediatric care providers, based on barriers, attitudes and capacity, leading to more consistent implementation of best practices.  

Midlands Housing Alliance – This project will evaluate the impact of utilizing home health care providers onsite as needed for medically fragile residents, who would otherwise not be able to stay at Transitions. Transitions continues to see an increase in complex health needs of the homeless population in the Midlands.  

SC Thrive – This project will support efforts to better coordinate needed health resources for veterans and military families in local communities through the development of a statewide action plan for veteran-serving organizations across South Carolina.

South Carolina Alliance of YMCAs – This project seeks to understand how the YMCAs can prevent chronic disease by accelerating their potential as an extension to health care services and maximize their capacity to provide evidence-based health interventions through key informant interviews with health care providers and community focus groups.

South Carolina Office of Rural Health – This project will pilot providing social work services through rural libraries in several communities across the state. Social workers will connect individuals to community health resources and address social determinants of health.

Applications for the summer 2019 Catalyst Grant cycle are available now and due July 17, 2019 by 5 p.m.. For more information about the grant opportunity and how to apply, click here. The full Request for Proposals can be found here.