Application period for Community Engagement’s first grant cycle opens with focus on mental health and substance misuse

Jan. 31, 2025 -- Reid Health Community Engagement will award $300,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations in 2025. Local organizations offering programs or services that address the health needs of community residents are encouraged to apply for a Reid Health Community Grant.

The application process is open for the first of three funding cycles. Applications for the Mental Health and Substance Misuse grant will be accepted until Feb. 7.

This cycle aims to promote mental, emotional, and behavioral well-being by improving mental health and reducing substance misuse. Requests will be evaluated based on their ability to improve poor mental health-average number of days, death rate due to suicide, death rate due to drug poisoning, adults who smoke cigarettes, depression-Medicare population, and drug and opioid overdose rates.

"The Reid Community Grant Program provides local organizations with the critical resources needed to tackle health challenges at a community and grass roots level," said Jess Przybysz, Director for Reid Community Health and Engagement.

"By empowering these organizations with funding, we enable them to create impactful programs that address health disparities, promote well-being, and ultimately transform lives for the better. I am eager to learn about the impactful programs and projects presented by our partners in 2025."

The three grant cycles focus on priority areas determined by the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA.)

Nonprofit organizations must meet requirements to be eligible for the grants. A program or service must meet an identified community need and at least one IRS Community Benefit objective, including improve access to health services, enhance public health, advance increased general knowledge, or relieve the burden on government to improve health.

Reid Health services a seven-county area across East Central Indiana and West Central Ohio.

In 2024, Community Engagement awarded 49 grants to 40 different organizations to support health programs and/or projects for residents and communities.

"Last year, the Reid Community Grant Program was able to assist and fund so many incredible organizations, while developing extensive partnerships," said Katie Stephen, Community Benefits Specialist for Reid's Community Benefit & Engagement.

"I'm very excited to expand those partnerships, as well as learn about new opportunities for our communities through projects they have in line for 2025."

Every three years, a CHNA is conducted to determine the primary concerns in the region and develop a plan for how to best use Reid's programs and activities to improve residents' health. Community input is collected through interviews, focus groups in all seven counties, and a survey provided in English and Spanish.

In 2022, the CHNA had 1,051 participants to help determine the health needs, and as a result, a third grant cycle was added. The three primary focus areas are mental health and substance misuse; physical activity, nutrition, and weight; and maternal, infant, and children's health. Requests are evaluated based on the applicant's ability to improve indicators for each cycle. Reid team members will conduct a new CHNA this year that will guide the community efforts and grants program in 2026, 2027, and 2028.

Following this first grant cycle open through Feb. 7, the next two application cycles are in the spring (physical activity, nutrition, and weight from April 14 to May 9) and the summer (maternal, infant, and children's health from July 14 to Aug. 8).

More information about the Reid Community Grant program, the health needs assessment, and the implementation strategy can be found at ReidCommunities.org.

About Reid Health Community Engagement
Community benefit is the basis for the tax-exempt status of not-for-profit hospitals. Community benefit is defined as programs or activities that improve access to health services, enhance public health, advance health knowledge through research and education, and/or relieve the burden of government to improve health.

In 2010, the Affordable Care Act added new requirements for tax-exempt hospitals in the areas of community health needs assessment (CHNA), implementation strategy, billing and collections, and reporting. In 2014, the IRS issued final rules implementing these requirements. The goals of these provisions are to ensure tax-exempt hospitals are meeting the health needs of their communities and to ensure greater transparency and accountability.

Grants, along with other specific outreach and requirements to meet Reid Health's not-for-profit status, have put more than $168 million back into the community in the past five years. A committee of Reid's governing board and community members reviews grant requests. The grants are awarded as part of the health system's efforts as a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization.