Community Health Improvement Grants

The Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) Community Health Improvement Grants program is funded by contributions from our 8 hospitals around Puget Sound. In awarding community grants, VMFH actively partners with nonprofit organizations working to improve health status and quality of life in the communities we serve.

Grant funds are used to deliver services and strengthen service systems, to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable and underserved populations. The program is one way VMFH puts its mission and values into practice.

Funding criteria

The Community Health Improvement Grants program uses funding criteria to ensure that its charitable resources address health needs in ways that demonstrate accountability for impact. Grant applicants should ensure that their proposed projects:

Address one or more prioritized significant needs in the local hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment
- Access to health care
- Chronic disease prevention
- Behavioral health
- Violence prevention
Serve identified vulnerable or underserved populations
Include two or more collaborating partners with distinct, complementary, and substantive project roles
Preference is given to projects that work in some capacity with one or more VMFH hospitals

Eligibility

Lead applicant must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Grant projects awards are from $20,000 up to $100,000. Grant project implementation is from March 2025 to February 2026.
Mid-year and final written accountability reports are required
Projects are funded for one year and there is no guarantee of continued funding in future years

Information sessions

2025 grant webinar slides

Timeline

Application period open from June 17-Aug. 16, 2024
Applicants notified – January 2025
Projects begin – March 1, 2025
Projects end – Feb. 28, 2026

Application portal

Look for 2026 application information in Summer 2025.

Community Health Improvement grant recipients

Applicant Organization	Application Name	$ Amount Funded
Communities In Schools Of Lakewood	In School Behavioral Supports	$95,000
Emergency Food Network	EFN Home Delivery Program	$75,000
HopeSparks	Hip Hop Therapy	$53,560
KC HELP	Knights of Columbus Equipment Support Program	$35,000
Key Peninsula Healthy Community	Key Peninsula Healthy Community	$95,000
Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center	Community Health Improvement for Immigrants	$100,000
Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center	Hilltop and Downtown Tacoma Community Health Workers	$96,000
North Kitsap Fishline	Fishline Counseling Services	$50,000
Nourish Pierce County Food Banks	Culturally Responsive/Nutritious Foods	$100,000
Pacific Lutheran University	Spanish-Language Medical Interpretation Training Course	$42,170
Peace Lutheran Church	Peace Lutheran - Hilltop Anti-Displacement Program	$36,500
Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank	Senior Homelessness Intervention & Prevention (SHIP)	$98,200
Plateau Outreach Ministries	Plateau Outreach Ministries Basic Needs	$25,000
Project Access Northwest	Pro Bono Behavioral Health Counseling Program	$100,000
Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation	Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation - Community Mental Health	$60,000
Resilient in Sustaining Empowerment	Behavioral Health Supports for Gun Violence Survivors	$95,000
Seattle Center Foundation	2024 Seattle/King County Clinic	$35,000
Solid Ground WA	Solid Ground’s Sand Point Behavioral Health Partnerships Program	$100,000
Step By Step Family Support Center	Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Pregnant and Parenting Women	$100,000
Tacoma SEED - Hilltop Urban Gardens	Hilltop Urban Gardens	$67,013
Tacoma Urban League/Leaders in Women's Health	Culturally Competent Diabetes & Hypertension Outreach & Workshop	$25,000
Teen Feed	Teen Feed Trauma & Nutrition Equity - Community Guide	$35,000
Vine Maple Place	Addressing social determinants of health to end homelessness through Vine Maple Place’s Stable Families Program	$95,000
YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties	Chronic Disease Support Programs	$80,080