Applications being accepted for Health Equity Innovation Award funding

Univera Healthcare is accepting applications for its 2024 Health Equity Innovation Awards, which provide funding to community-based organizations to support health and wellness programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities in Western New York. The online application portal will open on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 10 a.m. and close on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

This is the fourth year Univera Healthcare is offering Health Equity Innovation Awards, but this time there’s an added twist: This year, Univera Healthcare will partner with the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York on the Health Equity Innovation Awards, with the Health Foundation providing additional funds to enhance the impact of the program.

“This collaboration between Univera Healthcare and the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York is more than two decades in the making, as the foundation was established in 2002 with a multi-million-dollar endowment from Univera Healthcare,” says Univera Healthcare President Art Wingerter. “In addition to that connection in history, our two organizations have similar visions and a common goal of improving the health and quality of life in the communities we serve. Individuals in need in Western New York, and the community-based organizations that serve them, will benefit from this innovative funding initiative.”

“The Health Foundation for Western & Central New York is proud to partner with Univera Healthcare on the Health Equity Innovation Awards to support organizations that are working toward a healthier and more equitable Western New York,” said Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD, President, Health Foundation for Western & Central New York. “Building strong relationships, collaborating, and leveraging our shared strengths are key elements of advancing health equity. Together, we can have an even greater impact on our shared goal of improving the health of the communities we serve.”

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Univera Healthcare’s eight-county service area are invited to apply for funding of up to $30,000. That includes community-based organizations in Erie, Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Wyoming counties. 

Health Equity Innovation Award applications should propose innovative projects with measurable outcomes, expansion potential, and clearly outlined goals to reduce health disparities and address social disadvantages. Funding is dependent upon a project’s ability to demonstrate tangible improvement in racial and ethnic health equity.

Priority categories for the Health Equity Innovation Awards include:

• Improved maternal health outcomes
• Behavioral health or mental health conditions
• Acute and chronic disease management
• Social determinants of health such as economic stability, education access, and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context

"Health Equity Innovation Award funding is designed to support initiatives that confront the fundamental causes of health disparities, particularly those linked to structural racism. By providing funding for projects that tackle social, economic, and systemic issues, we intend to create a health care system that is fair and equitable for everyone," says Simone E. Edwards, DrPH, MPH, vice president of health equity and community investments at Univera Healthcare.

For more information and to apply, visit Community Investments and Partnerships or UniveraHealthcare.com/Community.