Group offers health equity grants to area organizations
A Greater Cincinnati organization is inviting proposals for projects and initiatives to increase access to health services and resources in Butler County.
A funding initiative to transform health for all people in the region called bi3 is putting out a request for proposals through its Building Health Equity in Butler County. The bi3 Fund will award grants ranging from $250,000 to $500,000 over two to three years to local nonprofit organizations. Collectively, they have $2 million to award to agencies and organizations around the county.
Bi3 is a grant maker that seeks to fuel innovation and health equity. The organization leverages a strategic partnership with TriHealth to spark and scale new approaches to health care and partners with community-based organizations to improve health and reduce health disparities.
Bi3 has been issuing grants since 2010 in southwest Ohio, which includes some awards to Butler County organizations, but 2024 is the first year for the dedicated grant program for Butler County, said Allison Ryan, chief communications officer with bi3.
The grants for Butler County are following a community needs assessment.
Last year, bi3 and its strategic partner, Bethesda Butler Hospital, contracted with Scale Strategic Solutions to conduct a health and healthcare needs assessment and develop an equity-focused action plan to address identified health needs in Butler County.
Several opportunities were identified in the final report and action plan for bi3 to partner with Butler County nonprofit organizations to build health equity in the area.
“When we do those community needs assessments, there’s some recognition that health needs in more urban areas don’t necessarily
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A few of the previous grants bi3 issued in Butler County include:
■ A one-year $205,000 grant to Bethesda Butler Primary Care Center so TriHealth Bethesda Butler Hospital could engage in a planning process to better understand the needs of its patients and explore solutions to improve the health and health care of the region.
■ A $222,430 grant to buy and pilot Hercules Patients Repositioners at Bethesda North and Bethesda Butler hospitals.
■ A three-year $200,000 grant was awarded to NyNi,
Inc. to increase the number of trained and certified community-based Black birth doulas in Butler and Hamilton counties.
Letters of intent by organizations need to be submitted online to bi3.org by 11:59 p.m. May 20. There’s an informational virtual workshop scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday (registration is required at tinyurl. com/bi3April24Workshop). On May 31, letter of intent decisions will be communicated and invitations to submit a detailed proposal will be issued.
Detailed proposals would be due by 11:59 p.m. July 29 and the notice of grant awards would be communicated by the end of September.
Bi3 encourages organizational proposals that help reduce health disparities, centering on at least one of the following populations: Black, indigenous and people of color; individuals with lower levels of education and income; individuals living with disabilities; immigrants and new Americans; and individuals without health insurance.
The priorities applications should address include maternal and infant vitality, mental health and chronic health conditions. For more details and information, visit www.bi3.org.