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/
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