Areas of Focus

The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) spent its first five years as a grantmaker developing its grantmaking policies, procedures, guidelines and processes; gradually increasing the grant dollars disseminated as its endowment and hospital revenues grew; building relationships with other funders; and learning about both the philanthropic landscape and the many local, state and national stakeholders engaged in addressing health and wellness. During this time, MSHF used reactive grantmaking within the Mat-Su community to build relationships with the nonprofit, tribal, and government entities addressing health disparities, health services and health improvement activities for vulnerable populations and residents of Mat-Su. These activities enabled MSHF staff and board members to understand the health needs of borough residents through these relationships and the programs and issues they bring forward for funding.

In 2012 the Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) board of directors centered its strategic planning session on evaluating how the foundation could have even bigger impact. MSHF invests its resources on select populations and defined issues and/or systems that will have the greatest impact on our goal to create the healthiest borough. MSHF strives to encourage and manifest systems change in each of these areas through research and education, policy and advocacy, convenings and coalitions, partner development, and grants and scholarships. The MSHF Board recognizes that these complex issues require prolonged investment over the course of a generation or more. In 2014, based on community feedback, data and analysis, the MSHF Board selected Healthy Aging, Healthy Foundations for Families and Healthy Minds for MSHF focus areas.

Each of our focus areas has its own website page:

Healthy Minds

Healthy Aging

Healthy Families

Healthy Futures

 

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