Franciscan Health Foundation Awards $450,000 In SIPP Grants

MISHAWAKA, Indiana - The Franciscan Health Foundation, the fundraising affiliate of Franciscan Health, recently awarded more than $450,000 in community health improvement grants through its Social Impact Partnership Program (SIPP). Fifty-seven non-profits located throughout Franciscan Health's Indiana service regions and south suburban Chicago were selected from 105 applications to receive funding of up to $10,000 per organization.

Recipient Organizations

Grant recipients in Central Indiana are: Archdiocese of Indianapolis; Beech Grove Comprehensive Drug Free; Big Brothers Big Sisters; Catholic Charities Indianapolis; Chin Community of Indiana; Churches in Mission; Gleaners Food Bank; Hope for Tomorrow; Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse; Indiana Immunization Coalition; Indiana Women in Need Foundation; Kids in Crisis Intervention Team; Overdose Lifeline; St. Thomas More Free Clinic; and The Boys and Girls Club of Morgan County. 

Grant recipients in Western Indiana are: Bauer Family Resources, Inc.; Caregiver Companion; Lafayette Catholic School System; Community Action Program, Inc.; Food Finders; GracePoint Resource Center; Jasper County Sherriff; Lafayette Neighborhood Housing Services; LTHC Homeless Services; Montgomery County Youth Services Bureau; Pam's Promise; Rensselaer Area Ministerial Association; and United Way of Greater Lafayette.

Grant recipients in the Hammond/Muster/Dyer region are: Boys and Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana; Food Bank of Northwest Indiana; Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana; Hope Christian Church; Housing Opportunities; Indiana Immunization Coalition; Indiana Women in Need Foundation; Ivy Tech; Purdue University; The Cancer Support Center; Top 20; TradeWinds; and Women's Care Center.

Grant Recipients in Northern Indiana (including Michigan City and Crown Point) are: Citizens Concerned for the Homeless; Community Help Network, Inc.; Dunebrook, Inc.; Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana; Healthy Communities of LaPorte County; Hilltop Neighborhood House; Housing Opportunities; Indiana Women in Need Foundation; Interfaith Community PADS; Open Door Community Alliance, Inc.; Opportunity Enterprises; Purdue Extension; Stepping Stone Shelter for Women, Inc.; The Salvation Army; and The Caring Place, Inc.

Grant recipients in South Suburban Chicago are: Crisis Center for South Suburbia; Harold Colbert Jones Memorial Community Center; Respond Now; South Suburban Family Shelter; South Suburban PADS; St. Coletta's of Illinois; and The Cancer Support Center.

A Collaborative Process

"We are thrilled to work with so many worthy organizations in our service area," said Caitlin Leahy, senior vice president for Franciscan Health Foundation and Community Health Improvement. "These non-profits have demonstrated great creativity and determination in addressing pressing community health and wellness issues in their areas. We're confident their efforts will generate some great results."

SIPP is a community health enrichment program sponsored by Franciscan Health, which establishes, and builds upon, partnerships with non-profit health and human service agencies that provide services in at-risk communities served by Franciscan Health. The goal is to foster long-term relationships with community providers to better address significant health issues among vulnerable populations.

A committee comprised of local Franciscan healthcare leadership selected the fund recipients and amounts. The recipient organizations received funding based on program applications demonstrating their ability to address priority health needs and health equity based on Franciscan's Community Health Needs Assessment process. Identified priority health issues are: 1) Access to Healthcare; 2) Food Insecurity; 3) Housing Stability; 4) Social Bridging; 5) Mental Health; and 6) Substance Abuse.

Recipient organizations will collaborate with Franciscan Health Foundation's Community Health Improvement Team to ensure program effectiveness that meet the grant application's stated goals. They must participate in program orientation and will submit progress reports at 6-month and 1-year intervals. Participation in the reporting process is required for consideration of any future funding or assistance.

Franciscan Health Foundation will announce the benchmark dates for 2022 SIPP grant applications, review and awards early next year.