The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation recently announced that it has awarded more than $3.2 million in grants to 27 nonprofit organizations across Minnesota. The grants are for one or two years and range from $20,000 to $100,000 per year.

The Foundation board 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 April 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,” says 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.”

Connected, resilient, inclusive communities

Many of the recent grants are part of the Foundation’s 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.

Eighteen community organizations are receiving funding, which will support efforts such as:

• Addressing rising anti-immigrant sentiment
• Providing critical programs for Asian American immigrants, refugees and their families
• Supporting the Latinx community by providing direct services, youth and family programs, mental health support and cultural events
• Addressing the fear, isolation and negative health impacts resulting from anti-Semitism and white nationalism
• Creating safe, intergenerational and interconnected spaces for North Minneapolis youth

Improving access to quality early education

Nine of the recent grants are part of the Foundation’s Healthy Start program, focused on improving access to quality early childhood care and education throughout the state.

These grants will support things like:

• Creating policy, program and funding recommendations to address how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated opportunity gaps and the statewide child care shortage
• Advancing Minnesota’s Indigenous languages through early childhood programs and parent engagement
• Ongoing development of Minnesota’s first Ojibwe immersion cooperative child care center
• Engagement with parents and providers to understand social determinants of health and their impact

“Our grantee partners are at the center of all we do, and together we are accountable to the communities we serve,” says 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.”

To learn more, a full list of grantees can be found here.