Kern County Medical Service Area
Please Note: The grant information below is for historical information only. Our 2011 application deadline was April 15, 2011. Please visit our website in fall for information about our 2012 grants.
As the nation's largest nonprofit, integrated health care system, Kaiser Permanente seeks to make positive contributions to health and wellness in the community as part of our social mission. Kaiser Permanente addresses needs and priorities identified locally which affect overall community health and the health care system. This is accomplished, in part, by supporting partnerships with community-based organizations through our community grants program.
The Kaiser Permanente Kern County Community Benefit Grants Program provides opportunities to respond to grant requests from nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government-sponsored projects whose work aligns with our key funding priorities.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a Community Benefit grant, an applicant organization (or fiscal agent), must have operations in California and be a local, state, or federal government agency operating for public purpose, or one of the following types of nonprofit organizations:
- 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization with a 509 (a) designation indicating that the organization is not a private foundation
- 501(c)(19)
- 501 (c)(8) or 501 (c)(10) operating under a lodge system and only if used solely for charitable purposes and serving the general community
- A local, state, or federal government agency, including any of its subdivisions that perform substantial governmental functions
In addition, organizations must:
- Provide services to disadvantaged and/or underserved populations that address funding priorities identified in the Kaiser Permanente Kern County Needs Assessment
- Provide services within the geographic boundaries of Kaiser Permanente Kern County service area, which includes Arvin, Bakersfield, Buttonwillow, Delano, Kernville, Lake Isabella, Lamont, McFarland, Oildale, Shafter, Taft, Tehachapi, Wasco and Wofford Heights, California
- Address critical public health needs among vulnerable populations
- Have submitted progress and/or final reports for all previous grants
Needs Assessment Funding Priorities
Kaiser Permanente Kern County provides grants to local nonprofit health and human service organizations that address these needs among vulnerable populations:
- Need I: Access to Health Insurance Coverage and Health Care Services. Funding will focus on organizations/programs that 1) Increase the number of low-income people who enroll in or maintain health care coverage; or 2) Increase access to health care services for low-income and uninsured individuals.
- Need II: Prevention & Management of Obesity, Diabetes & Heart Disease. Funding will focus on organizations/programs that 1) Increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables; 2) Increase physical activity in community settings & institutional settings; or 3) Decrease mortality rates for heart disease, diabetes & stroke.
- Need III: Improved Teen Birth Rate & Infant Health Rates. Funding will focus on organizations/programs that 1) Decrease teen pregnancy rates in Kern County; 2) Increase infant birth weight; or 3) Decrease infant mortality rates.
Funding Restrictions
Kaiser Permanente Kern County Community Benefit will generally not consider funding requests from international, social, recreational clubs, or for the following:
- Sports teams and tournaments (e.g., golf, tennis, walks, and runs)
Individuals - Religious purposes
- Partisan political activities
- Endowments or memorials
- Re-granting purposes to other organizations
Kaiser Permanente will not consider requests from organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, or veteran status in their programs, services, policies, hiring practices, and administration. In addition, Community Benefit grants will not be awarded for activities, events, or programs organized or solely sponsored by alcohol, tobacco, or pharmaceutical companies.
We generally do not provide grants for academic research, capital campaigns, event sponsorships (including community health fairs), or political campaigns.
Filing Deadline
Grant requests must be submitted on or before April 15, 2011. Grant requests will be reviewed only once during the 2011 calendar year by the grant review committee.
The reviews will be completed at the beginning of June, 2011. Proposals will be forwarded to the committee if they meet funding criteria as outlined in this application, and if all necessary materials are included in the request.
All requests for information should be directed to Kristen Weirather at kristin.n.weirather@kp.org.
Online Submission Process
You can start the online application for Kaiser Permanente Kern County Medical Service Area Community Benefit grants program.
In addition to this online grant proposal submission process, you should have received these two documents:
When you are working in the online application form, you have the option to save your work and return to the application at a later time through the account you created. In addition you:
- Can view a history of submissions
- Will receive a submission acknowledgement
Prior to submitting your online application, you will be able to review your grant application for completeness. Please note that once a grant application has been submitted, it cannot be edited or resubmitted.
Note: If you forget your account password, please follow the onscreen instructions from the account log-in page to retrieve your password. If this method does not work, please send an e-mail to So.Cal.Grants@kp.org with "Kern County Medical Service Area Online Application Password Reset" in the subject line to reset your password.
