Grants for Children’s Health

The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world; yet children’s health issues remain on the forefront of discussions by lawmakers, funders and nonprofit organizations. Experts agree that investing in children's health yields many benefits, including improved development and health, improved academic performance, and long-term savings in health care costs. Key areas where gaps in children’s health care are obvious include infant mortality due in part to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), infant care in the first month of life, well-baby care including immunizations, dental care, obesity, and other preventable problems. Another serious problem is the lack of insurance for the nation’s neediest children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 9 million children lack health insurance, and millions more have inadequate coverage. Accurate and comprehensive information and statistics about children’s health is available from organizations such as Medline Plus, KidsHealth and WebMD.

Due to the importance of this issue, grants for children’s health are available from a wide variety of sources. On the public level, the Department of Health and Human Services offers the largest support of children’s health through grants. Foundations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Hasbro Children’s Foundation, the Mattel Children’s Foundation, and the General Mills Foundation routinely award grants for children’s health to nonprofit organizations. Companies providing medical care and insurance also provide programs and grants for children’s health; examples include the UnitedHealthCare Children’s Foundation, the Aetna Foundation, and Humana. Other corporate grants for children’s health are given by Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health and the Dell Foundation.

Other grants for children’s health are awarded by professional medical organizations. A program of the American Academy of Pediatrics, called the Community Access To Child Health (CATCH) Program, is designed to improve access to health care by supporting pediatricians and communities that are involved in community-based efforts for children; CATCH also provides grants for children’s health in areas such as planning, implementation and training. Similarly, the Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP) is a cooperative agreement program of the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The American Dental Association (ADA)’s Foundation's Harris Fund for Children's Dental Health provides grants for children’s health in the form of dental care or education.

The above article was written by Saadia Faruqi, author of Best Practices in Grant Seeking: Beyond the Proposal. Saadia has more than 10 years of grant writing and development experience in the nonprofit sector, including at-risk youth, women’s health, domestic violence, science education, adult and family literacy, and the arts. Prior to starting her own grant writing firm, she worked as Grants Administrator at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Houston. For more information about Saadia visit her blog Grantwriters Zone.