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Frequently Asked Questions

Many of the Health Foundation's potential grantees ask similar questions about the Health Foundation and our application process. We have compiled a list of these questions and their answers on this site. Please feel free to scan through this list. You may also want to review frequently asked questions about our Requests for Proposals (RFPs). If you have further questions about the Health Foundation or our grantmaking process, please contact Shelly Stolarczyk-George, our Grants Manager

Q: What are your deadlines?
Because we have a vested interest in seeing our projects succeed, we are willing to take the time to help our potential grantees develop the best proposals possible, even if this requires  more time to complete them. To this end, we only set deadlines for Request for Proposal (RFP) submissions, and these are set for each individual RFP. For more information on current RFPs, click here

Q: Where can I get an application?
The Health Foundation discourages its potential grantees from completing an application without having talked with a Program Officer about the project first. Your Project Officer will give you an application after he or she has discussed the project with you and Health Foundation staff have determined that the project will likely fit within our guidelines and grantmaking interests and will be competitive with other proposals

Q: What can grant funds be used for and what not?
Typically, grant funds can be used for personnel (salary and benefits), project director, professional fees, local travel, office equipment, supplies, meeting facilitation costs, and utilities such as telephone or fax. Grant funds are not awarded for space rental, overhead, capital items (unless they are part of a larger project), and support of existing personnel or programs

Q: How long will it take my proposal to get through your process?
Proposals being considered under RFPs are processed according to the schedule outlined in each individual RFP.  For more information on RFP deadlines, click here.  For other proposals, it generally takes about 6-8 weeks for a project to go from being a letter of inquiry to a completed application. Depending on the amount of the project and the level of approvals required, it may take an additional 4-6 weeks to be approved by the Foundation. Your Program Officer can give you a more specific timeline for your project

Q: Who should I contact about program areas?
If you have questions about our program areas or grantmaking interests, contact the Program Officer in each area:

Q: Who should I contact about evaluating my project after it has been funded
If you have questions about how to evaluate your project to see how effective it has been, please contact your Program Officer or Dr. Ann McCracken,  our Director of Evaluation.

Q: Who should I contact about health data?
If you have questions about how to find, collect, or use health data, please contact Jennifer Chubinski, our Director, Health Data Improvement Program.

Q: I want to let people know about my project, but I need some help. Can you help with my communications needs?
Certainly. If you need assistance with any communications needs, such as developing materials, finding and working with consultants, and developing a communications plan, please contact Christine Mulvin, our Director, Communications, or Angela Laible, our Communications Specialist. They are available to assist you with a wide range of communications tasks.

Q: Where does your grant money come from?
In 1997, the ChoiceCare Corporation was sold to a for-profit organization for $250 million. The money from this sale became the Health Foundation's endowment, and we use the income from that endowment to invest in health-related projects for our community. For more about the Health Foundation's history, click here.

Q: Do you fund multi-year projects?
Yes. The Health Foundation will fund projects of any length, from 3 months to 3 years and sometimes beyond. We find that healthcare changes very rapidly, and that three years can be a long time.

Q: Do you fund start-up projects?
Yes. The Health Foundation does fund projects that start new services as well as projects that extend or expand existing services.

Q: I have a project in mind, but I need some time to plan the project before I begin implementing it. Can the Health Foundation help me with the planning?
Of course. We realize that having a good plan is directly related to a project's success. If you need time to plan how the project you want to implement will be integrated into your agency, let us know. We often invest time, money, and other resources into planning processes.

Q: Do you fund ongoing operations?
Sometimes. While most of our funding is for specific programs and projects, we award some general operating grants. Such awards are usually directed to organizations that work in health policy or advocacy, and to organizations with which we have had long experience. Normally, we do not subsidize care to clients or replacement of lost income.

Q: Do you fund for-profit agencies or groups?
No. The Health Foundation funds non-profit organizations, churches, government agencies, churches, and schools. We do not fund projects where the grantee organization is a for-profit agency or group.

Q: What if our agency is governmental and does not have a 501(c)(3)?
Some documentation of tax-exempt status under IRS sections 115 or 170 will be required. Please contact Shelly Stolarczyk-George, our Grants Manager, for more information.

Q: What is your service area?
We operate in a 20-county region around Cincinnati that encompasses counties in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. In order to qualify to receive a grant from the Health Foundation, the project must serve at least 1 of our 20 counties. To see a map of our service area, click here.

Q: I don't think my project fits your requirements. Do you know of any other potential funding sources/resources?
Depending on the project, we may know of other potential funders who can help you. Please contact Francie Wolgin, our Community Health Development Officer, and she may be able to assist you in finding potential sources of funding.