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Health Fund: 2023 in Review

Looking back on a year of partnership and impact

Connection & Community

The Health Fund’s work is all about finding and delivering solutions that support better health for Michiganders. In 2023, this included grants to nonprofits across the state to address urgent needs and develop better models for long-term health, igniting research to unearth valuable data and inform better decisions, and strengthening partnerships across sectors so we can work together to make our state healthier.

Looking back, it’s clear that 2023 was one of our most dynamic years yet. We gained insights on Michigan’s pressing health challenges, hit the road to connect with partners across the state, and deepened our emphasis on equipping communities to pursue equitable solutions and meaningful change.

We hope these themes come through in this report, which highlights our grantmaking and shares stories of progress from the year.

2023 Grantmaking

In 2023, the Health Fund invested more than $35 million through 150 grants to organizations working to improve health in communities across our state. These funds were spread across several grant initiatives, each with its own unique priorities and a shared emphasis on innovative, evidence-based, community-driven solutions for a healthier Michigan.

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Community Health Impact & Capacity Building

$5.1 million invested in 45 projects

These projects emphasized support for community-based organizations and collaboratives working to empower local projects, build critical capacity, and incorporate the voice of those with lived experience in the design and execution of new health solutions. 

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Maternal & Infant Health

$2.57 million invested in 13 projects

These projects focused on addressing service delivery barriers, increasing access to protective and clinical interventions, and addressing targeted policies, practices, and procedures that impact outcomes for women and children.

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Behavioral Health

$7.85 million invested in 26 projects

These projects improved access to high-quality, integrated mental health and substance use disorder care aiming to bridge health equity gaps, advance integrated care, increase cost-effectiveness, and strengthen the health workforce.

Nutrition & Healthy Lifestyles

$7.37 million invested in 27 projects

These projects invest in critical nutrition and lifestyle solutions that positively impact children and older adults. Initiatives worked intentionally with communities to overcome socially determined barriers and expand access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activities. In 2023, this included changes to the built environment to support better health.

Healthy Aging

$8.2 million invested in 27 projects

These projects supported health and well-being for older adults and their caregivers. Focused initiatives worked to expand access and integration of care, promote health equity, address workforce challenges, and enhance support for caregivers.

Special Projects & Emerging Ideas

$4.15 million invested in 12 projects

These projects targeted investment in innovative models and partnerships aimed at solving systemic health challenges. Grants were aimed at increasing equitable access to health, improving organizations’ access to vital technology, and developing solutions for workforce shortages in key health professions.

In addition to the promise of future impact in our most recent grants, stories from the Health Fund and our grant partners this year highlighted important outcomes and valuable learning. Here are a few from 2023:

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New info tools show impact, enhance transparency

At the Health Fund, we continually ask ourselves how we can listen better to improve our service to applicants, grantees, and communities. Last December, we shared results from our second independent survey of both grantees and applicants whose proposals were not funded. One of the key themes from their feedback was a desire for more information about Health Fund projects. In December, we launched two new tools that make it easier than ever to learn more about the Health Fund’s grantmaking.

First, with the help of Data Driven Detroit, we created an interactive map that geographically documents every grant we have ever issued. The map also allows users to customize results based on adjustable parameters.

Second, our new searchable grant database contains more information about every grant awarded since our inception. Like the map, the database provides users with sortable results based on a wide range of adjustable criteria.

We hope these tools provide applicants with greater access to meaningful, searchable information related to successful past applications, and we look forward to making ongoing improvements to better track and share our grantmaking going forward.

View the map
View the grant database

Supporting a statewide “Farm to Early Education” strategy

Despite our rich agricultural resources, many Michigan kids live in food-insecure households, and providing all children with equitable access to healthy food continues to be unacceptably difficult.

Extending successful “Farm to School” models to daycares and preschools is one solution to connect young kids to fresh, local foods, but early education providers face a range of barriers to implementation.

With Health Fund support, the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan led efforts to incorporate the voices of providers into a new cooperative, statewide strategic plan — which was published in August — to grow this promising approach. These connections help bring critical perspectives into the planning process.

Read the full story

Police social work project offers innovative approach to behavioral health support

Left unaddressed, mental illness, substance use disorders, and other behavioral health issues can lead to behaviors that bring affected people into contact with the police. Often, the criminal justice system is not the best solution for the people in crisis, their families, or their communities — including the law enforcement agencies themselves.

In 2022, the Health Fund made a grant to Arbor Circle to establish a full-time police social worker position — likely the first such role in a rural community in Michigan — within the Newaygo Police Department, which serves a community of 2,500 people north of Grand Rapids.

The project is providing rapid, intensive support to people in a behavioral health crisis, reducing demand on police officers to respond to situations outside their training. A year into the grant, this effort is producing meaningful benefits for Newaygo’s residents and offering a model for other communities to consider.

Read the full story

New approaches hold promise for a better caregiving environment

Approximately 1.7 million Michiganders care for a family member or loved one. These family caregivers provide an invaluable benefit to our state, and finding effective approaches to give them the help, knowledge, and tools they need has never been more important.

The Health Fund’s Healthy Aging program continues to work with a wide range of partners to make Michigan a national leader in our support for caregivers.

Earlier this year, we shared two recent collaborative projects — supported by the Health Fund and our partners — working to create badly needed, long-term supports for this unpaid workforce.

Read the full story

Collaborations aim to advance elder justice

All older adults should be able to experience physical, mental, and financial safety and well-being as part of a healthy aging process.

With these values in mind, the Health Fund works with partners across Michigan to build strategies and safeguards that prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation while creating effective protections and support for those affected.

In recent years, this has taken shape in the form of projects to prevent financial exploitation of seniors, provide access to safe housing and supportive services for those experiencing abuse, systemic reforms to Michigan’s guardianship program, and more. Earlier this year, we took stock of recent projects led by grantees to push progress in this important area.

Read the full story

Helping Health Nonprofits Raise More Money

While grants can be an effective way to launch new initiatives, test big ideas, and tackle specific challenges, we know that they’re just a piece of the financial picture for our grantees and other nonprofits. 

That’s why our Capacity Building program engaged Bonterra to deliver intensive fundraising coaching and support to a group of community-based organizations focused on a healthy Michigan. The goal of the program is to help participants improve their fundraising infrastructure and results so they can plan for a stable and sustainable future. 

In May, we shared outcomes from our first cohort of participants, which suggest this support is making a difference.

Read the full story

Report shares state of telehealth in Michigan

As telehealth moves from an emerging technology to a more permanent fixture of the health care landscape, providers and policy makers need access to information and insights about how to make the most of this dynamic tool for health.

To help, the Health Fund and the Ethel & James Flinn Foundation engaged the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation at the University of Michigan to conduct a wide-ranging study on telehealth use, identify gaps in access, and make recommendations to maximize its benefits.

The resulting report — Telehealth in Michigan — was released in July and provides a comprehensive collection of data about the state of telehealth and its impact on healthcare access for Michigan residents. Our blog accompanying the release summarized key findings from the report.

Read our summary

In 2023, the great work of our partners was featured frequently in the media. The stories below showcase just a small fraction of their impact and the attention they earned.

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STATE OF HEALTH

This story series, produced by Issue Media Group, explores how Michigan communities are rising to address health challenges. State of Health is made possible with funding from the Health Fund. Here are a few of the inspiring models and innovative programs featured in the series this year:
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New health care apps, devices, and tech improve outcomes for all ages

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Supports created for families experiencing postpartum depression

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Behavioral health brought to the home improves older adults’ quality of life

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Michigan programs empower kids to be community health leaders

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Students volunteer to caregive and build friendships with older adults

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Dementia is not a death sentence for people

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No more “diagnose and adios” dementia diagnosis

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Dementia dispartities in communities of color

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Building support for dementia caregiving

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The rapidly expanding field of dementia

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Building more dementia-friendly communities

DEMENTIA PODCAST

In 2023, State of Health expanded beyond its print feature series to include a podcast offering an in-depth look at dementia. The podcast shares the many ways that people in Michigan who live with dementia, who care for a loved one with dementia, and who are leaders in the nonprofit and health care sectors are working to change the conversation about dementia.

Media Headlines

We’re excited to share stories from local and statewide media organizations covering the work of our grant partners. This year, the headlines tell stories of dedication, determination, and innovation. Here are a few of our favorites:

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New program helps monitor pregnant women for heart problems

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Project to triple the number of volunteer caregivers in the state

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GLTA providing ‘wellness rides’ for our seniors

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Produce prescriptions are promoting healthy behaviors across Michigan

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How northern Michigan students are addressing the youth mental health crisis 

Thank you!

As we close the books on 2023 and look forward to another productive year, our deepest thanks go out to our amazing grantees and partners. And thanks to you for reading!

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