Humana Offering $500,000 for Plan to Address Hunger, Isolation in Broward

Broward County organizations that connect residents to healthy food are invited to apply for grants “no smaller than” $500,000 from the Humana Foundation, the charitable arm of the health insurance giant.

Since 2015, Broward County has been among the communities targeted by Humana Inc.’s “Bold Goal” initiative for programs and spending aimed at improving residents’ overall health. Others are Louisville, Ky.; San Antonio, Texas; New Orleans, La.; Knoxville, Tenn.; plus the Tampa Bay and Jacksonville regions in Florida.

The program’s goal is to improve the health of these communities 20 percent by 2020.

In a news release, the foundation announced it planned to make “strategic community investments” of at least $500,000 each to organizations in its Bold Goal communities that ensure that people have daily access to healthy food and are making the social connections they need to improve and sustain positive health outcomes.

Types of organizations eligible for the investments include, but are not limited to, mobile or stationary feeding centers for the homeless or the disadvantaged, food co-ops or pantries, nonprofit farmers’ markets, and community gardens that teach people how to grow food.

“We’re open to any and all of these kinds of proposals,” a foundation representative said. “If an applicant has a solid theory of change that can help show how their proposed solution will result in systemic change leading to positive health outcomes related to food security, social connection, and healthy days, the Humana Foundation is interested in hearing about it."

Applicants should address both social connection and food security and the effects both have on health, the foundation’s website states.

Making at least $500,000 available to individual organizations is a new strategy of awarding fewer but larger grants for “maximum input,” said Walter Woods, CEO of the Humana Foundation.

By contrast, eight South Florida nonprofits shared $735,000 from the foundation in 2017. They were Broward Regional Health Planning Council; The Education Fund; Florida International University; Foot Print to Success Clubhouse; Health Foundation of South Florida’s Florida Health Networks; Hispanic Unity of Florida; Memorial Foundation; and United Way of Broward County.

Organizations that receive a “strategic community investment” from the foundation will have an opportunity to receive continued funding for up to two years based on results achieved in the first 12 months, the foundation said.

Requests for applications will be accepted from an organization or consortium of organizations no later than April 27, the release said. After reviewing the requests, the foundation will select a group of finalists to undergo a more detailed application process in May.

The request for application can be submitted through the foundation’s website at Humanafoundation.org/investments.