Category: News

  • MAT-SU HEALTH FOUNDATION OPENS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

    Wasilla, AK— The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) recently opened a funding opportunity through its Healthy Impact grant program. Applications for this semi-annual program are being accepted through Friday, May 20, 2016. Healthy Impact grants fund projects over $15,000 that improve the health and wellness of people living in the Mat-Su Borough.

    MSHF uses a two-part application process for Healthy Impact grants. The first phase of the process is the Project Pitch phase. The Project Pitch is completed online at www.healthymatsu.org and includes information about the organization that is applying and a description of the proposed project. The Foundation reviews all pitches and then invites projects that most closely align with the Foundation’s funding goals to move forward to the full application phase.

    Prospective grantees must provide services or benefits to Mat-Su residents and be qualified Alaska nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations classified as “not a private foundation” under section 509(a) of the Code. In select cases, MSHF may choose to fund health-related projects undertaken by religious, governmental, educational or tribal agencies seeking partners for health-related initiatives that impact the broader Mat-Su community and extend beyond the traditional purpose and functions of these organizations. All potential applicants are encouraged to visit the foundation’s website at www.healthymatsu.org to learn more about the grant process, who the foundation funds and does not fund, and to review its searchable grants database to see the types of projects that have been awarded in the past.

    Although Healthy Impact grant requests must be in excess of $15,000, smaller grant amounts are considered continuously under the Foundation’s Target Wellness grant program. As with Healthy Impact grants, Target Wellness grants are applied for online at www.healthymatsu.org/.

    ###
    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/.

     

  • MAT-SU HEALTH FOUNDATION MAKES TEN-YEAR COMMITMENT TO MAT-SU TRAILS AND PARKS FOUNDATION

    Wasilla, Alaska – The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has increased its annual grant award to the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation to $550,000 per year for ten years. This award doubles MSHF’s previous commitment, and it enables the Trails and Parks Foundation to increase its own grantmaking, build its capacity by hiring a development director, and begin building an endowment to ensure the organization’s sustainability.

    “Trails and parks are vital to the overall health of our community,” said MSHF Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Ripley. “From encouraging physical activity to bringing people together, recreation plays an important role in both our physical and mental health.”

    Stuart Leidner, executive director of the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation, stated, “Our mission if to develop and maintain a quality trails and parks system which promotes healthy lifestyles, enriches our residents’ quality of life, and provides economic value by enhancing recreation, tourism, and business opportunities for all. This long-term commitment from the Mat-Su Health Foundation helps to ensure that we are able to not only continue this work, but to make more grant dollars available to organizations working to advance quality trails and parks projects throughout the community.”

    The Mat-Su Health Foundation began funding the Mat-Su Parks and Trails Foundation in 2012 as a way to ensure that trails and parks projects throughout the borough were approached in a coordinated way. With this increase in funding to the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation, the Mat-Su Health Foundation will no longer accept grant applications related to public trails or parks. Organizations seeking this type of funding will be directed to the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation, where they will be evaluated in the context of the entire trails and parks system.

    More information about the Mat-Su Trails and Parks Foundation, including its grant guidelines and application, can be found at matsutrails.org.

     
    ###

    About MSHF: Mat-Su Health Foundation 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 asset through board oversight. The MSHF invests its share of Mat-Su Regional’s profits into charitable works that improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in Mat-Su. More information is available online at www.healthymatsu.org/.

  • MAT-SU HEALTH FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE; NEW MAT-SU SCHOLARS AWARD ANNOUNCED

    Wasilla, AK — Mat-Su residents interested in pursuing education in health and wellness-related fields are invited to apply for Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) scholarships totaling more than $350,000. Individual awards may be as high as $20,000 to cover tuition, books, and required fees at accredited schools in Alaska and Outside. Applications are accepted online at www.healthymatsu.org, and the deadline to apply is February 24, 2017.

    “Health care workers are in high demand, and the scholarship program helps us ‘grow our own’ in the Mat-Su,” said MSHF Executive Director Elizabeth Ripley. “Of the 25 occupations expected to grow the most in Alaska, 18 are related to health care. There are critical needs that can only be met with a highly trained and educated workforce.”

    Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarships help defray the cost of higher education in degree programs that emphasize health or wellness, including mental health and substance abuse. Scholarships are also available for pursuit of degrees in nonprofit management. Awards for traditional MSHF scholarships are based on each applicant’s stated career goal and financial need as demonstrated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The maximum amount awarded per student for these scholarships is $20,000. New for 2017 is the Mat-Su Scholars Award, which is also based on the applicant’s stated career goal, but not on financial need. Mat-Su Scholars Awards require an essay and interview as part of the online application process and may be for as much as $10,000 each for up to six applicants who meet specific criteria:

  • Current High School Students: The Annie Demming Scholarship is reserved for a promising student currently enrolled in high school and planning to attend college. Demming was a part-time nurse at Valley Hospital and later the head of its medical records department. She served in that role until her retirement in 1987.

  • Behavioral Health Major: The Vivian “Babe” Shaver Scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a degree in behavioral health. Shaver was employed at Valley Hospital as an environmental services worker for many years.

  • Graduate-Level Applicants: The Ya Ne Dah Ah /K’tl’egh’i Sukdu Scholarship will be awarded to a graduate-level student. The Ya Ne Dah Ah /K’tl’egh’i Sukdu scholarship was created to honor Alaska Native traditions and culture in the Mat-Su. Ya Ne Dah Ah / K’tl’egh’i Sukdu loosely translates as “ancient stories/remaining stories of our people.” Ya Ne Dah Ah is Ahtna and K’tl’egh’i Sukdu is Dena’ina.

  • Hospital Administration: The George V. Larson, III Scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a degree in hospital administration or non-profit management. Larson, former CEO of Valley Hospital Association, was known for his deep humility, care for employees, and servant leadership. He explored ways to finance a new hospital for Mat-Su. He cemented a capital partnership that enabled Mat-Su Regional Medical Center to be built, changing the landscape of health care in Mat-Su forever.

  • Physician Assistant: The Jessica Stevens Scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a physician assistant degree. Stevens was the CEO of Sunshine Clinic and worked tirelessly for 14 years to improve health care in the Upper Su. Her efforts transformed a single-provider clinic into a federally qualified community health center with a staff of 40 housed in a new, state-of-the-art facility.

  • Nursing: The Darlene Reed Scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a degree in nursing. Reed was a long time public health nurse in Palmer and was instrumental in the early years of the Mat-Su Agency Partnership and many other community initiatives.

    • All MSHF scholarship applicants must be residents of the Mat-Su Borough, U.S. citizens, eligible for the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, and attending (or planning to attend) an accredited health care program at least half-time. Complete eligibility requirements and the online application are available at www.healthymatsu.org/.

    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/.

    ###