Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Awards Over $3 Million in Grants to Support Health Care System Innovations, Access
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation awarded more than $3 million in grants to 64 community-based programs and projects that promote sustainable improvements in health care access for low-income and uninsured residents of Massachusetts. Over the past two decades, the Foundation has granted more than $73 million in total.
The grants were awarded in the second half of 2020 for initiatives continuing into 2021. They include the Foundation’s four key grant-making program areas:
- Connecting Consumers with Care, which supports community-based organizations that assist eligible consumers with securing, maintaining, and navigating health insurance coverage.
- Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Urgent Care, which builds upon the state’s existing Emergency Services Program (ESP) system and expands the recipient organizations’ ability to provide community-based behavioral health urgent care.
- Going Beyond Health Care: Addressing Social Determinants Through a Cross-Sector Approach, which supports the coordination of services by interdisciplinary teams to address clinical and non-clinical needs of low-income and vulnerable populations.
- Strengthening the Voice for Access, which supports statewide organizations working on expanding access to health care and promoting the health care interests of low-income residents.
“With this round of grant-making, we remain steadfast in our multi-year commitments to expanding access to behavioral health urgent care, investing in new models to address the social determinants of health, strengthening statewide advocacy for health access, and supporting local efforts to obtain coverage for Massachusetts residents,” said Audrey Shelto, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. “At the same time, we are pleased to have distributed funds to community-based organizations responding to the pandemic in communities that have been inequitably impacted.”
The Foundation’s Special Initiatives program continued to provide one-time grants to nonprofits and projects that predominantly serve people of color, including some with a special focus on responding to community needs caused by COVID-19.
The following is a complete list of Foundation grantees:
Connecting Consumers with Care
| Organization | Location | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program | Boston | $40,000 |
| Boston Public Health Commission | Boston | $45,000 |
| Brockton Neighborhood Health Center | Brockton | $45,000 |
| Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee | Cambridge | $45,000 |
| Caring Health Center | Springfield | $45,000 |
| Community Action Committee of Cape Cod and Islands | Hyannis | $45,000 |
| The Dimock Center | Roxbury | $45,000 |
| East Boston Neighborhood Health Center | East Boston | $45,000 |
| Ecu-Health Care | North Adams | $45,000 |
| Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center | Worcester | $45,000 |
| Family Health Center of Worcester | Worcester | $45,000 |
| Greater New Bedford Community Health Center | New Bedford | $45,000 |
| Joint Committee for Children’s Health Care in Everett | Everett | $45,000 |
| Lowell Community Health Center | Lowell | $45,000 |
| Funding total | $625,000 |
Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Urgent Care
| Organization | Location | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bay Cove Human Services | Cape Cod | $200,000 |
| Boston Medical Center | Boston | $200,000 |
| The Brien Center | Pittsfield | $200,000 |
| Clinical & Support Options | Northampton | $200,000 |
| Community Healthlink | Worcester | $200,000 |
| Lahey Health Behavioral Services | Lowell | $200,000 |
| Funding total | $1,200,000 |
Going Beyond Health Care
| Organization | Location | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Metro Housing | Boston | Boston | $75,000 |
| The Community Builders | Worcester | $75,000 |
| Funding total | $150,000 |
Strengthening the Voice for Access
| Organization | Location | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Center for Independent Living | Boston | $60,000 |
| Disability Policy Consortium | Malden | $60,000 |
| Health Care For All | Boston | $75,000 |
| Health Law Advocates | Boston | $65,000 |
| Massachusetts Association for Mental Health | Boston | $75,000 |
| Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition | Boston | $65,000 |
| Massachusetts Law Reform Institute | Boston | $75,000 |
| Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers | Boston | $60,000 |
| Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery | Boston | $60,000 |
| Massachusetts Public Health Association | Boston | $60,000 |
| Massachusetts Senior Action Council | Quincy | $60,000 |
| Funding total | $715,000 |
Special Initiatives
| Organization | Location | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Casa Esperanza | Boston | $25,000 |
| Essex County Community Organization | Lynn | $12,500 |
| Family Health Center of Worcester | Worcester | $13,570 |
| Family Services of the Merrimack Valley | Lawrence | $25,000 |
| GreenRoots | Chelsea | $12,500 |
| Health Imperatives | Brockton | $12,500 |
| Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI-USA) | Boston | $25,000 |
| Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers | Boston | $20,000 |
| Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC) | Boston | $25,000 |
| Public Health Institute of Western MA | Springfield | $12,500 |
| Regional Environmental Council | Worcester | $15,096 |
| Rian Immigrant Center | Boston | $25,000 |
| Roca | Chelsea | $25,000 |
| Trinity Boston Connects | Boston | $25,000 |
| Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires | Great Barrington | $12,500 |
| YMCA of Metro North | Peabody | $25,000 |
| YWCA Central Massachusetts | Worcester | $12,500 |
| Funding total | $323,666 |
In addition, the Catalyst Fund, a grant program funded by employees of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and administered by the Foundation, awarded $78,740 in grants to 17 organizations across Massachusetts addressing COVID-19 in their communities. The grants will help provide basic needs to the vulnerable populations the grantees serve, including individuals experiencing homelessness, older adults, individuals with disabilities, low-income and immigrant families, and youth with behavioral health conditions.
About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to expand access to health care for low-income and vulnerable individuals and families in the Commonwealth. 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.