Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation

Community health innovation, access, and quality addressed by the grants provided in the request for proposal program and the community health matching grant program. Through our community health matching grant program, we work with health professionals and community leaders at nonprofit organizations to develop population led, community-inspired programs or implement evidence-based programs to address community-identified needs and evaluate measurable programmatic and health outcomes. In 2022, we partnered with 30 organizations providing matching grants to help address the value of, and access to, health care, while improving health care outcomes. The Foundation doesn't just wait for grant applications. With the request for proposal program, we reach out to michigan-based safety net organizations that primarily serve the uninsured, underinsured, medicaid recipients and other vulnerable populations. Our goal is to solicit proposals that align with areas of need that we identify. The Foundation's request for proposals program is guided by listening and learning sessions with community leaders and gathering data. We aim to solicit requests for proposals that are population led and community inspired. In 2022 we addressed the following health issues 1. Advancing maternal health equity 2. Black-led mental health partnership pilot program 3. Creating community connections and spaces 4. Opioid settlement dollars investment support the bcbsm Foundation, with our funding partners, supported 19 organizations throughout Michigan to address community-identified needs.

Grant funding is one way nonprofits meet their mission. However, many nonprofits don't have a grant writer on staff or the ability to hire a contract grant writer to develop and submit health-related grants. The proposal development award provides nonprofits with funding to contract a grant writer to create, write and submit health-related grants. Our grantees and their contracted grant writers have successfully developed and submitted proposals to public agencies and private, community and corporate foundations. In 2022, we were proud to support six organizations to support their needs for additional funding.

Research grant awards are made to address the cost and quality of health care. These awards are made to Michigan researchers, physicians and students at universities, and hospitals. Before an innovative idea can be implemented, it must first be tested. The investigator-initiated research program is designed for Michigan researchers, enabling them to turn theory into data and data into knowledge. These grant partners often increase their influence in academic circles and community platforms to inform and shape future thought and improvement. Our investigator-initiated research award program provides grants to doctoral-level researchers to address critical gaps in health-related research, examine factors that may prevent or reduce the risk for disease, examine associations and cause and effect relationships between health variables, secondary data analysis of large datasets, health care cost-analysis studies, robust evaluation projects and feasibility studies to test the implementation of innovative interventions to improve health outcomes. The results of the pilot studies should lead to research dissemination and a grant application to the national institutes of health or other federal agencies for funding to advance the research. In 2022, we partnered with eight researchers to help with increasing research needed to develop innovative solutions to healthcare issues. The physician investigator research awards allows bcbsm Foundation to support Michigan physicians who seek to improve the quality, cost or access to health care for residents through pilot studies, feasibility studies or small research projects. The help provided to these physicians gives them the assistance they need to develop innovative and evidence-based research grants that address urgent health issues, health inequities, social determinants of health and health care access, quality and cost. In 2022, five physicians received support with their research to address the needs of their patients. As a frequent partner of Michigan universities and researchers, the Foundation is acutely aware of the importance of higher education. Without properly trained professionals, Michigan would have little hope of creating effective and efficient solutions to the many health issues that people face every day. The student award program supports the health-related research of medical, terminal-practice degree and doctoral students in Michigan. The Foundation understands that funding student research provides future professionals with the help needed to cover expenses and offers professional development and an opportunity to become a published researcher. In 2022, the Foundation supported the research of 17 students at seven Michigan universities.