Michigan Health Endowment Fund

Older adults in Southeast Michigan will soon benefit from 11 newly developed respite programs. These new collaborative initiatives will offer caregivers opportunities for rest, social connection, education, and other resources that allow them to breathe a little easier. These projects will be supported by Exhale – The Family Caregiver Initiative, which has announced $2.2 million in grants to support collaboration among 50 organizations across the region that will lead these innovative respite programs.?The Health Fund is proud to be one of the funding partners supporting this work alongside the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF MICHIGAN FOUNDATION. Grants will be managed by The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI).? Learn more about these new programs at ExhaleForCaregivers.org. #caregiving?#respite?#ExhaleForCaregivers?

? The Health Fund is proud to be a part of the?funding collaborative for the?Leadership for Mental Healthy Equity project. This joint grantmaking initiative is?designed to fund efforts that support community members in Detroit with mental health care needs, with a focus on establishing referral systems to address racial disparities in accessing mental health care. The initiative will provide grants of up to $150,000 each to seven community-based organizations to advance this critical work. Applications are due October 31. Learn more about the initiative — including grant details and eligibility — and apply:

We are excited to share that Listen4Good will be presenting at the Council of Michigan Foundations October 2024 Conference! In the session, Building Nonprofit Capacity through Listening, L4G Director of Partner Services, Sachi Takahashi-Rial, will join the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and Keweenaw Community Foundation to share about capacity-building supports for sharing power with community. Sachi will guide participants through an interactive exercise on listening and feedback. We look forward to connecting with fellow changemakers and driving positive impact together. https://lnkd.in/gK2trxMX #MIphilanthropy #Nonprofits #CapacityBuilding #Feedback #Fundraising #CommunityEngagement #Equity?

Older adults face an elevated risk of severe illness from COVID-19. With a newly updated vaccine now available, the Michigan Poll on Healthy Aging asked Michiganders over 50 whether they were likely to get it. The response: 50% said they were very likely or somewhat likely to get the updated vaccine, compared to 45% of older adults nationally, with some significant variation based on income in our state. Learn more:

Yesterday afternoon, the Health Fund Board of Directors voted to invest $14.7 million in 60 exciting projects aimed at improving health for Michigan. The majority of these grants will fuel new projects through our Behavioral Health and Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles initiatives. Together, these investments seek to build effective systems of care and support better conditions for health and well-being in communities throughout the state. Learn more and view the full list of new grants:

Grateful to see the work and insights of our partner, Meredith Kennedy of Miigwech, Inc. featured in this piece from the Council of Michigan Foundations!

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides compassionate, confidential care for people experiencing emotional distress or crisis. In observance of National Suicide Prevention Month, we're excited to join with partners to recognize today as Michigan's inaugural 988 Day! The day's chosen theme — "No Judgment. Just Help." — says it all. Join us in helping spread the word.

Health Fund support has helped our partners at Miles for Memories — an initiative of the Battle Creek Community Foundation — create a technology solution to help people with dementia who have become disoriented in their communities get home faster, with less anxiety, distress, and expense. Our latest blog post shows how a simple bracelet has led to 385 safe returns and approximately $1,750,000 in health care savings across Michigan since 2017:

In July, a group of Health Fund squaddies hopped in a minivan for a three-day meeting tour with Behavioral Health grantees in northern Michigan. It was an incredible opportunity to spend time in person with partners and learn more about their work. We drove home with a deeper appreciation for the collaborative approaches communities are using to increase access to behavioral health support, along with the challenges they are navigating to make it happen. Our latest blog shares more. Huge thanks to Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan, Great Lakes Recovery Centers, Marquette Alger RESA, McLaren Northern Michigan, Munson Healthcare, and Upper Peninsula Health Care Solutions for their hospitality!

Spreading the word that MDHHS is seeking public health and community leaders to join its Michigan Racial Health Equity Think Tank. Participants will collaborate and share knowledge from their unique backgrounds to?advance health equity for racial groups impacted by disparity gaps in Michigan. The application deadline for participation is next Friday, August 23. Learn more and apply at the link below: