Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation Awards More Than $3.2M To 27 Nonprofits; Announces Bukata Hayes As Board Chair

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation (Foundation) has awarded more than $3.2M in grants to 27 nonprofit organizations in Minnesota. Grant awards are for one or two years and range from $20,000 to $100,000 per year. Eighteen grants are part of the Healthy Connections program, which supports efforts to create and nurture more connected, resilient and inclusive communities where all people have the support and resources to reach their full health potential. The remaining nine grants are part of the Healthy Start program, focused on improving access to quality early childhood care and education throughout the state.

The Foundation board has also appointed Bukata Hayes, vice president of racial and health equity at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, as its board chair. Hayes has been a member of the Foundation board since 2015 and joined the Blue Cross enterprise in March of this year.

"These grants are the latest example of supporting our grantees to improve community health across Minnesota while deepening our commitment to racial and health equity," said Hayes. "Racial and health inequities are pervasive in our state, and the community holds the solutions. We are proud to partner with these organizations – the majority of which are led by people who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color – in addressing the root causes of these inequities head-on."

"Our grantee partners are at the center of all we do, and together we are accountable to the communities we serve," added Carolyn Link, president of the Foundation. "In partnership with these strong nonprofits and through the leadership of our board, we can improve the health of Minnesota communities."

The following organizations were selected to receive Healthy Connections grants:

Casa de Esperanza, St. Paul

Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL), Minneapolis

Centro Tyrone Guzman, Minneapolis

Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), St. Paul

Hispanic Outreach Program of Goodhue County, Red Wing

Hope Community, Minneapolis

Jewish Community Action, St. Paul

Liberty Community Church, Minneapolis

Men As Peacemakers, Duluth

Navigate, Minneapolis

OutFront Minnesota, Minneapolis

Project FINE, Winona

Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE), Minneapolis

SEWA-AIFW, Minneapolis

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, St. Paul

St. Paul Youth Services, St. Paul

United Way of the Brown County Area, New Ulm

West Bank Community Development Corp. Inc., Minneapolis

The following organizations were selected to receive Healthy Start grants:

Alliance of Early Childhood Professionals, Minneapolis

Close Gaps by 5, Minneapolis

Fond du Lac Tribal College, Cloquet

Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Northfield

Somali Community Resettlement Services, Faribault

Way to Grow, Minneapolis

West Central Initiative, Fergus Falls

Wildflower Foundation, Minneapolis

YWCA, Minneapolis

Read more about the grants here.

About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation makes a healthy difference in communities by advancing health equity and improving conditions where people live, learn, work and play, awarding more than $63 million to over 500 nonprofits since it was established in 1986. For more information on Blue Cross' grantmaking programs, visit bluecrossmnfoundation.org.

SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation

Related Links

https://www.bluecrossmnfoundation.org/