The following announcement was provided by the the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation:
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, a nonprofit grantmaking and research organization, announced over $1 million in grants to a total of 19 organizations, including DEAF Inc. in Watertown. The funding will support health coverage enrollment efforts, perinatal health-related projects, a comprehensive health insurance survey and other special initiatives.
“These grant awards will support projects in a number of settings, ranging from public schools to higher education, fishing communities to urban neighborhoods, and all corners of the Commonwealth where we are working to improve equitable health care access,” said Audrey Shelto, President and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, which has provided grants totaling more than $87 million since it was established in 2001.
The Board of Directors recently approved funding for the Special Initiatives program, which is for organizations to pilot or launch a new project that advances health equity. The Foundation is providing a total of $300,000 in one-time grants to the following six nonprofit organizations that are working to improve health care access across Massachusetts:
- Burlington Public Schools, for a collaborative team-based approach to mental health care that will complement existing school services, increase support for students and families, and incorporate culturally competent practices.
- Fishing Partnership Health Plan Corporation, which will enhance the availability of behavioral health support in the fishing communities of Gloucester, New Bedford, Plymouth and Chatham that face higher-than-average rates of suicide and substance use disorder.
- Mandela Yoga Project, to help pilot a trauma-responsive yoga program to test the impact of this peer-led mind body intervention on disparities among patients with diabetes and hypertension at both the Uphams Corner Health Center in Dorchester and the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center.
- The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health, to implement its Early Psychosis Outreach Initiative in primary care physician and community health center settings to improve care for youth and young adults, particularly those experiencing inequities and discrimination due to race, income or other factors.
- Transformational Prison Project, to develop a project that will provide trauma-informed behavioral health services for youthful offenders – those incarcerated before age 21 and released as adults – returning to their communities.
- William James College, to help this psychology school launch a Behavioral Health Service Corps for Men of Color to diversify the field and develop a sustainable workforce that can address mental health and substance use disparities among historically underserved communities in Massachusetts.
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The Foundation’s Board also recently approved funding of $612,000 for the second year of its two-year grant program Supporting Health Coverage Enrollment Efforts, a statewide initiative to help eligible individuals secure and maintain MassHealth (Medicaid) or other insurance coverage.
The funding has supported the expansion of Certified Application Counselor (CAC) capacity in the Commonwealth. CACs are trained individuals who help consumers search for and secure health coverage options, including assistance with completion of eligibility and enrollment forms.
The following organizations received grants:
- Agencia ALPHA, an immigrant-led, grassroots organization in Boston focused on community organizing and services for immigrants.
- Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, a nonprofit serving the Cambodian and other minority communities in the Lowell area.
- Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands, a nonprofit that provides a variety of services to low-income residents.
- Developmental Evaluation and Adjustment Facilities (DEAF Inc.), a Watertown-based nonprofit that supports the underserved deaf community.
- Ecu-Health Care, a nonprofit based in North Adams that provides access to affordable health care and coverage to the uninsured and underinsured.
- Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH), a nonprofit organization committed to mitigating health disparities and facilitating wellness for Asian communities in Greater Boston.
- Hilltown Community Health Centers, a federally qualified health center serving individuals and families at four sites and a community center in Western Massachusetts.
- Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health, a program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester helping families navigate health insurance.
- Massachusetts Senior Action Council, a statewide grassroots organization, based in Quincy and led by seniors committed to social justice.
- True Alliance Center, a faith-based charitable organization that seeks to promote advocacy and health education in the Haitian community in Greater Boston.
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The Foundation also invested $130,000 in a policy grant that will support the development and implementation of the 2025 Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey by the Center for Health Information and Analysis. CHIA is an independent state agency that serves as a steward of critical health data and promotes a more transparent and equitable health care system.
The Foundation periodically makes grant awards to support its research agenda. The support for CHIA to implement this survey on health insurance coverage and access to health care services comes at a critical time; policies enacted to protect coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency are no longer in effect, and the data collected through this survey will provide the very first look at the updated insurance coverage landscape in Massachusetts.
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The Foundation also expanded funding for its Perinatal Health Initiative, which was developed in 2024 in response to disparities in pregnancy-associated mortality and severe maternal morbidity. Earlier this year, support was provided for 12 organizations across the state, and grants have now been approved for two additional organizations, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and Greater Lowell Health Alliance.
About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to ensure equitable access to health care for all those in the Commonwealth who are economically, racially, culturally or socially marginalized. The Foundation was established in 2001 with an initial endowment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. It operates separately from the company and is governed by its own Board of Directors. For more information, visit www.bluecrossmafoundation.org.