Health Care Grants

The term health care grant is often confusing, as they seldom ever fund actual health care. Health care grants are available from both the Federal government and many private foundations.  They can be quite complicated, such as the HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grants that are funded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the private Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Foundation. Funds awarded under these grants can be in the multiple millions of dollars, and often are multi-year renewable grants.  These large and complicated grants can have applications that require dozens of pages for the application and supporting documents.  There are other health care grants that can be as simple as a two-page submission for minor supply expenditures, such as adult diapers or bedding.  This type of grant is usually found on a local or regional level.

In general, larger health care grants often fund development of systems or collaborative partnerships for the delivery of healthcare.  They may be available for small groups to develop specific strategies that affect some aspect of healthcare.  For instance, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has made funds available for research, to implement better health care payment strategies.  They may also fund the purchase of equipment, such as CT scanners or other equipment.

Any grantor providing these high-dollar health care grants will require that the requesting agency is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Smaller foundations may offer grants for specific equipment.  For instance, the Darrell Gwynn Foundation (http://www.darrellgwynn.com/ ) provides motorized wheelchairs for paralysis patients. You do not always have to be a nonprofit to apply for this type of assistance.

Health care grants may also be available from foundations that support specific illnesses, such as breast cancer or muscular dystrophy. Again, this type of healthcare grant is unlikely to be available to individuals; they are most likely to be available to nonprofit groups or entities such as hospitals.