The Foundation For A Healthy High Point Announces Spring 2022 Grant Awards

June 28, 2022

The Foundation for a Healthy High Point, a private foundation that invests in advancing health and well-being for Greater High Point residents, approved a total of $975,686 to support local efforts. The projects selected focus on behavioral health, built environment, capacity building, education, food security, housing/homelessness, and maternal and child health.

“This year, we are supporting and working with our Funded Partners as they address multiple social determinants of health,” said Curtis Holloman, executive director of The Foundation for a Healthy High Point. “Funds will support the development of a small urban park in the Highland Village community conceived and driven entirely by the neighborhood association and residents as a way to build community cohesion and improve health. It also includes support for planning an important undertaking to build a best-in-class Day Center to support people without housing.”

The approved grant recipients are:

Behavioral Health

• World Relief High Point ($32,565) helps refugees, survivors of human trafficking, and other immigrants in vulnerable situations rebuild their lives in a new country. Funding supports the organization’s behavioral health services and fills a gap in services for clients who need mental health support but have been in the US for over five years. It also supports local staff and volunteer training in trauma-informed care, space in High Point to provide therapeutic and group treatment, and program materials.

Built Environment

• Southwest Renewal Foundation of High Point, Inc. ($100,000) is creating a model in Southwest High Point that offers high-quality environmental health and communal prosperity for all residents and businesses. Funding supports the development of a locally-driven and designed half-acre urban park in the Highland Village community, located in the 27260 zip code. The project is focused on increasing healthy eating and physical activity, supporting mental health, and fostering social and community connections. Funding will provide professional design, landscaping, construction repairs, labor, project administration, and park features.

Capacity Building

• Guilford Nonprofit Consortium ($25,000) is a collaborative of nonprofit organizations that fosters mutual assistance and support. Funding supports general operations to strengthen and increase the capacity of nonprofit organizations working in High Point. The Consortium provides various capacity-building activities, including training and leadership development opportunities. It is also a strategic partner for the Foundation’s Healthy Minds Initiative and provides administrative support for the Nonprofit Internship Program.

Education

• Guilford Education Alliance, Inc. ($20,000) provides advocacy and education to galvanize the community on critical issues and quality public education in Guilford County schools. Funding includes support for general operations and the High Point Schools Partnership, an affiliate of GEA focused on the unique needs of the 25 High Point schools. GEA also offers financial resources for the school system not covered by state or federal funding for capacity building and strategic planning efforts.
• Operation Xcel ($25,000) engages students, parents, and the community to increase educational, social, and career skills. The organization’s programs support quality education, reduce health disparities, and increase healthy behaviors and social-emotional learning among vulnerable children. Funding expands and reestablishes health and behavioral health enrichment activities through afterschool and summer programming in High Point. Funding supports costs the state does not cover, providing enrichment activities, student transportation, program supplies, and computer software.

Food Security

• Out of the Garden Project ($45,000) provides food to families in the Piedmont Triad so they can grow, learn, and thrive. Funding will help the organization expand its free Fresh Mobile Market Program to Greater High Point by establishing five new locations, including High Point (2), Archdale (1), Jamestown (1), and Trinity (1). Funding supports the Fresh Mobile Market vehicles’ food, fuel, and maintenance. Goals for the program include increasing access to healthy foods, developing relationships with participating families, and having a measurable impact on the test scores at local schools.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC ($38,000) increases food security and creates pathways that build a stronger Northwest North Carolina. Funding supports the expansion of two existing programs into the High Point community. The Farm Fresh program will increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables at a local pantry and support a local farm. The Community Meals program will provide meals for family members not covered by government programs.

Housing/Homelessness

• Community Housing Solutions of Guilford, Inc. ($89,727) preserves safe and affordable housing, restoring dignity and hope for homeowners in Guilford County neighborhoods. Funding provides continued expansion of the organization’s reach and impact in High Point. Funding supports home repairs, accessibility modifications, and medical and assistive equipment for homeowners. The Home Repairs program effectively saves homeowners’ money, improves living conditions, decreases respiratory illness, prevents falls, and enables seniors to live longer in their homes.
• Open Door Ministries ($80,000) serves, empowers, and ministers to clients to prevent and end hunger and homelessness through advocacy, education, housing, and coordination of services. Funding supports the planning phase to develop and build a Day Center to provide comprehensive, “all-in-one” assistance for individuals experiencing homelessness. It will support a consulting firm to facilitate project management, planning, and technical designs and fill a critical gap not covered by federal and city funding streams.
• The University of North Carolina at Greensboro ($50,176)—The university’s Center for Housing and Community Studies is a community-engaged and applied research center that develops community-informed solutions for families in the most vulnerable neighborhoods. Funding provides continued support for the Healthy Homes program, which aims to reduce health-related illnesses such as asthma, COPD, and lead poisoning, caused by poor housing conditions. The service helps residents in substandard housing navigate and connect to existing resources.

Maternal & Child Health

• Guilford Child Development ($60,000) helps young children and families in Guilford County to reach their full potential. Funding supports the organization’s Nurse-Family Partnership program that provides home visitation services for first-time, low-income mothers in High Point. The program aims to improve pregnancy outcomes, child health and development, and parental life courses by helping parents plan future pregnancies, complete their education, and find work. Funding supports the salary and benefits of one Registered Nurse and a Licensed Professional Counselor.
• High Point Regional Health Foundation ($196,218) provides philanthropic support to help fund special projects, provide continuing staff education, fulfill patient services, and purchase life-saving equipment for the hospital. Funding supports establishing a Maternal Navigator program based at High Point Medical Center to link expectant and new mothers to community-based resources and improve birth outcomes. This position will also serve as an essential resource to providers within the hospital by offering training and information about available resources and identifying barriers to care. The grant also provides funding to convene a second Maternal and Fetal Health Summit.
• Reach Out and Read Carolinas ($19,000) is an evidence-based intervention designed to foster early childhood development and literacy by using books as tools during regular well-child visits in Greater High Point pediatric practices. Continued funding will provide books and training for medical providers that will increase the number of High Point sites implementing the program from four to seven, allowing the organization to reach an additional 2,300 children and families.
• Ready for School, Ready for Life ($35,000) is the lead organizer of a 10-year county-wide initiative to build a care system for children ages zero to eight and their families in Guilford County. The goal is to have a prenatal-to-age-three system across High Point and Guilford County. At that point, all families in High Point will receive the full array of services offered through the initiative and partner agencies. Funding provides general operating expenses for the organization’s critical role in guiding the initiative’s vision.
• YWCA High Point ($160,000) is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, dignity, and freedom for all. Provides continued support for expanding the organization’s Parents as Teachers program. This evidence-based and national model provides adolescent parents with education about childhood development and equips them with parenting skills to help improve school readiness. Funding will support the organization in strengthening the management and evaluation infrastructure for the program. It will provide staffing for a Lead Parent Educator, a new Data Analyst position, and staff development.

Last year, the Foundation funded 31 projects for $1,524,149 in grant awards. Since its inception, the Foundation has approved more than $13 million to support the Greater High Point community.