GREENFIELD — The United Way of Franklin County has opened its application process for funding and its primary focus will be on health over the next year, including mental health and substance abuse, chronic disease, infant and prenatal health, limited availability of providers, lack of transportation and more.
“Any nonprofit that wants to apply for funding and has programs dealing with health is welcome to do so,” United Way of Franklin County Executive Director Kelly Brigham-Steiner said. “We will also be continuing to support those agencies we’ve been supporting, but if someone new wants to have a program funded, it should fall under health.”
The United Way of Franklin County’s request-for-proposals process for a three-year partnership and funding for strategies focused on health began Wednesday and will continue through next April, Brigham-Steiner said. Then, funding for different nonprofit programs will be decided.
According to Brigham-Steiner, the agency is striving to make positive changes in Franklin County by using the 2019 Baystate Franklin Medical Center Community Health Needs Assessment and 2017 to 2020 Community Health Improvement Plan recently released by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.
Brigham-Steiner said those reports are a result of collaborative work and data gathering between nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, citizens and donors to determine the region’s most pressing health needs and the programs that can make a difference by improving the lives of people living locally.
Local human services nonprofits whose programs align with United Way of Franklin County’s goals and priorities and serve Franklin County residents should apply.
“The criteria we’ll be looking at will be tied to health assessment,” she said. “Data shows us that there’s a real need in that area.”
Brigham-Steiner said the programs United Way of Franklin County will fund will be specific to the county. She said funding for programs typically ranges from $2,500, which is the minimum, to $25,000, depending on how much a nonprofit asks for and for what reason.
The United Way of Franklin County will also be looking for applications from agencies that work to remove barriers to accessing quality health care, and those working in health literacy and language barriers, Brigham-Steiner said. She said agencies that understand the need for culturally sensitive care, are working on the lack of care coordination and who are working on insurance-related challenges should apply.
Human services nonprofits that work with Franklin County residents with incomes below 300 percent of the federal poverty level, who are re-entering the community after incarceration, are black or Latino, are lesbian, gay, bisexual and questioning youth, older adults, are transgender, non-binary or gender non-conforming, or with children who have experienced trauma should apply, Brigham-Steiner said.
“But the process is not limited to those populations,” she said.
Brigham-Steiner said United Way of Franklin County prioritizes investing in organizations with strong leadership, staff evaluation and financial stability, programs that align with the agency’s focus, and organizations and coalitions that are collaborative and work with others to reduce duplication of services.
For more information, contact Brigham-Steiner at 413-772-2168 or email her at: kbsteiner@uw-fc.org. Also visit: uw-fc.org.
Reach Anita Fritz at
413-772-0261, ext. 269 or afritz@recorder.com.