Health & Wellbeing Grant

From Richard King Mellon Foundation

Since 1947, the Richard King Mellon Foundation has invested in visionaries who seek to advance the competitive future and quality of life of Southwestern Pennsylvania, and to protect, preserve and restore America’s environmental heritage.

Type of Support

Overview

Many individuals in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are unable to live a healthy life due to conditions in their communities, lack of integration across sectors, and differences in the availability of quality supports and services. The Foundation's approach to Health & Well-Being is rooted in a conceptual framework called the "social determinants of health." This approach holds that many factors influence whether an individual, community or society thrives and flourishes. The Foundation funds efforts that ensure everyone in the Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, particularly the most vulnerable, have the opportunity to live a healthy life.

Grants are awarded to organizations and programs focused on:

  • Healthy People, with priority to
    • Chronic conditions
    • Mental and behavioral health
    • Maternal and child health
  • Healthy Communities, with priority to
    • Healthy eating
    • Safe and stable homes
    • Clean environments
    • Public place and open spaces
  • Advancing Science, with priority to
    • Basic research
    • Applied research and evaluation
    • Research translation and dissemination
    • Identification and response to emerging issues

Eligibility

Organization's Location
USA
Program Location
PA (Allegheny County, Westmoreland County)
Organization Type
501(c)(3)
Public-sector agencies
For-profit businesses
Fiscally-sponsored organizations

Ineligibility

Individuals or proposals that regrant to individuals
Lobbying, advocacy, or political causes or events
Terrorist activities
Postsecondary institutions or research institutions are not eligible for general operating support
not specified

Submission

Required Attachments
Board List
Letters of Support
Organizational Budget
501(c)(3) Letter
Audited Financial Statement
Project Budget
Contact info
rkmf@rkmf.org
Review Criteria

For-profit businesses only:

  • The Richard King Mellon Foundation is looking to invest in novel products, technologies or services from social-mission oriented for-profit companies.
  • Planning and Innovation: This funding supports experimentation and the development of novel concepts. Recipients might conduct activities such as piloting minimally viable products or services.
  • Implementation: The funding provides support for more developed concepts and services. Recipients of this funding often have demonstrated past success and have the capacity to engage in iteration and evaluation of their technology, products, or services.
  • Scalability: This funding supports scaling of a technology, product, or service.

Nonprofit and Public Sector only:

  • Planning and Innovation: This funding supports experimentation and the development of new ideas. Recipients might conduct activities such as piloting minimally viable products/services or completing a feasibility study.
  • Implementation: This funding provides support for more developed concepts and services. Recipients might continue current programs, construct a building, train staff, carry out a marketing campaign, or conduct a third-party evaluation. 
  • Scalability: This funding supports extending the reach of a promising model or project. Recipients might participate in conferences or publishing, convene networks, provide technical support to other organizations, or expand service delivery
  • Community engagement describes how the project will incorporate community perspectives to increase the likelihood of achieving the outputs and outcomes. You might describe how you have engaged with the target population to understand their view of the problem that you propose to address. You might also describe how you will engage your target population in ongoing leadership or advisory roles during the project’s implementation. You might also describe partnerships with other organizations that will increase the project’s effectiveness.
  • Project Sustainability helps us to understand your expectations for the relationship that might be formed between our organizations if funding were awarded. By asking this question, we want to understand how you are thinking about our role in your finances and program delivery.