Wasilla, AK— The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) recently added a searchable grants database to its website, www.healthymatsu.org. The database allows potential grantees, current grantees, and the general public to review grants and scholarships awarded by the MSHF from 2009 through the end of 2014. It will be updated at regular intervals to keep the information as current as possible.
“The new searchable grants database offers an easy, efficient way for people to learn about the organizations the Mat-Su Health Foundation has funded,” said MSHF Executive Director Elizabeth Ripley. “Non-profits interested in applying for funding will be able to view details about programs previously awarded grants, and this may help them develop their own proposals for funding.”
In addition to launching the new grants database, the Healthy Impact grant program was opened today for new grant applications. Healthy Impact grants fund projects over $15,000 that improve the health and wellness of people living in the Mat-Su Borough. The application process begins with a Project Pitch that is submitted online at www.healthymatsu.org and is due by 4 pm on Friday, May 29, 2015.
Included in the new database is information about the most recent round of the foundation’s Healthy Impact grants, which totaled $1,960,000 to six organizations:
Blood Bank of Alaska: $329,000 for two purposes. $300,000 is designated for furniture, fixtures and equipment for a new 50,000 square foot facility currently under construction in Anchorage. The remaining $29,000 will go towards replacement of HemoFlow devices used in blood collection, and for the purchase of a van to transport blood products to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center (MSRMC). Twenty percent of the blood products gathered through the Blood Bank of Alaska are utilized in the Valley by MSRMC.
Chickaloon Native Village: $525,000 to aid in construction of an 8,000 square foot federally-qualified community health and wellness center that will be available to both tribal and non-tribal users. Total cost of the project is $4,880,000; the MSHF grant will be released when all funds necessary to complete the project are secured by Chickaloon Native Village.
Frontline Mission $130,000 in matching funds over five years to assist the organization in expanding its community meal program. The program is currently run by volunteers. The grant will allow Frontline to build the sustainability with the hiring a meal coordinator and a cook. The grant funds are being committed by MSHF in a matching fashion; Frontline will be responsible for raising funds to support the program, and MSHF will provide a match up to $40,000 the first year; 30,000 the second year; and $20,000 in the third, fourth and fifth years.
Mid-Valley Seniors, Inc.: $330,000 to fund capital improvements to the Mid-Valley Seniors facility located in Houston. The 11,225 square foot facility is 28 years old and in need of significant updates to enable it to continue offering services to seniors. A portion of the grant is designated to Mat-Su Senior Services to provide management of the project.
Upper Susitna Seniors: $250,000 to assist with the construction of an addition to the organization’s facility. The addition will include rental space, a community wellness center, a heated garage, and storage space. The project also includes remodeling of the existing facility. Total project cost is $3,239,871. The portion committed by MSHF will be released when all needed funds are secured by Upper Susitna Seniors.
Valley Residential Services: $396,000 for two projects. $300,000 is to purchase a 3.16 parcel of land adjacent to the Mat-Su Senior Services complex for the purpose of constructing subsidized senior housing and/or assisted living housing. $96,000 is to assist with the purchase of a 6,600 square foot 10-unit apartment complex in Palmer, which will help to diversify Valley Residential’s housing portfolio. The total cost of the apartment complex is $600,000; the MSHF grant will be released when Valley Residential has secured all funds needed to complete the purchase.
About Mat-Su Health Foundation: Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, the MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital and protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution through board oversight. The MSHF invests its assets into charitable works that improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in Mat-Su. More information is available at www.healthymatsu.org.
