The Partnership for Better Health is committed to building an equitable, just, and inclusive community investment process and to supporting our local nonprofit community.

Aligned with our values of Equity, Advocacy, Collaboration, Stewardship and Innovation, the Partnership for Better Health supports projects that improve the health of individuals and communities by focusing on social determinants of health and health equity. The foundation seeks nonprofit partners with the capacity to address these crucial issues through their work.

  • Social Determinants of Health are the structural factors and conditions that affect everyone’s health. People’s homes, schools, jobs and neighborhoods significantly influence health outcomes. Social determinants of health include socioeconomic status, the environment, neighborhood safety, social support networks, and access to resources to meet daily needs, such as safe housing and healthy foods. Where people live, learn, work and play matters. The Partnership seeks to create strong social and physical environments that promote health for all.
  • Health equity exists when all people have fair and just access, opportunity, and resources to achieve their highest potential for health. To reach health equity, communities must take collective action to address policies, systems, and structures that influence health.

Grant Types:

Deadlines:

These are the deadline dates for all grant funds:

  • Apply by August 1 – Decision by November 15
  • Apply by December 1 – Decision by March 15
  • Apply by March 1 – Decision by June 15

Additional funding opportunities through Requests for Proposals or Application may be announced with different deadlines.

Resources about Updated Grantmaking Framework:
Zoom Session
Presentation
Questions & Answers

Eligibility Criteria

For all grants, an organization must be a 501(c)(3)
  • Fiscal sponsors are permissible for organizations that are not a 501(c)(3) for Project Grants and Spark Grants only.
  • Churches that use the tax Identification number of a larger organization and have a group exemption will need to complete the application indicating that larger organization is the fiscal sponsor.
    • GROUP - Generally, a central organization holding a group exemption letter, whose subordinate units covered by the group exemption are also eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, even though they are not separately listed (deductibility limitation dependent on various factors).
Grants must benefit residents of the Partnership’s defined geographic service area, to include all of Perry County, Western and Central Cumberland County, Northern Adams County and Greater Shippensburg. School districts are eligible to apply for Spark Grants only for each of their school buildings. Applicants may:
  • Apply for more than one grant type per year but not two of the same type; and
  • Request support for new or pilot projects that address emerging opportunities or needs.
Grants cannot be used for:
    • Endowment drives
    • Annual fund drives or loans
    • Advertising in yearbooks or programs
    • Electoral activities
    • Individual scholarships, internships or awards
    • Retroactive expenses or projects
    • “Athons” or other similar sponsorships
    • Athletic or alumni activities
    • Operating deficits
    • Individual medical bills
    • Capital expenditures in excess of $50,000 for program-related needs
    • Any portion of fees to a national or state association
The Partnership for Better Health accepts all applications online. The electronic grants system is used for all stages of the grant making process, including full applications and grant follow-ups.
  • Determine if your organization and the project you are proposing meet our general eligibility requirements.
  • Visit our online grants management system
    • If you’ve never used our system before, select “Create New Account.”
    • If you are a returning grantee, supply your email address and password to access the system. Review your contact information and select "Apply Now."
  • Select General Operating Support, Project, or the Spark grant application process and proceed.
Click here to see previously awarded grants.
For every grant application, the Partnership for Better Health will evaluate:
  • Strong alignment with the foundation's priorities:
    • Addressing one or more of the social determinants of health.
    • Advancing health equity by addressing systems and conditions that create inequities.
    • Using effective and/or innovative strategies in creating positive health outcomes.
    • Fostering collaboration focused on health justice.
    • Advancing systems change solutions (systemic strategies that are designed to improve all aspects of how a set of organizations, institutions or systems work).
    • Centering people with lived experience in the planning, leadership and implementation of the work—these are people with firsthand experience of the health challenges and inequities being addressed.
    • Utilizing policy advocacy strategies that build the power of marginalized communities toward systems change.
  • Significance of the need being addressed
  • Capacity of the applicant to accomplish its goals and objectives and its closeness to the issue being addressed; and
  • Appropriate budget.

In addition to our core funding priorities, the Partnership for Better Health develops Requests for Applications to incentivize work in strategic focus areas. Learn more about our current and recent Requests for Applications, below:

Current Requests for Applications
  • There are no current Requests for Applications.
Recent Requests for Applications
Service Area

Northern Adams County Zip Codes

17303, 17304, 17306, 17307, 17316, 17324, 17337, 17372,

Cumberland County Zip Codes

17007, 17013, 17015, 17065, 17081, 17240, 17241, 17257, 17266, 17324

Perry County Zip Codes

17006, 17020, 17024, 17037, 17040, 17045, 17047, 17053, 17062, 17068, 17069, 17071, 17074 , 17090

  • Under Development for 2024 Grantmaking Framework.