Sixteen Nonprofits Awarded Core Operating Grants

The REACH Foundation announced Core Operating Partner grants totaling $1.6 million to 16 health care, advocacy and policy, and coordinating organizations. The unrestricted grants will cover two years, beginning January 2024.

Core Operating grants have been a cornerstone of the foundation’s annual grantmaking since 2006. To date, REACH has awarded approximately 400 Core Operating grants totaling nearly $23 million to key community partners, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, Community Mental Health Centers, statewide advocacy organizations, direct service providers, stand-alone dental clinics and rural health coalitions.

Within the revised 2022-2026 Community Investment Framework, REACH redefined its goals for Core Operating funding, placing greater emphasis on support for Black and Brown leaders and organizations serving diverse populations, and expanding the cohort to add new community organizations. The foundation also structured the grants as two-year awards.

President and CEO Brenda Sharpe said REACH has long prioritized general support for organizations whose work is considered essential to a robust safety net and continued to look for ways to grow the impact of these investments.

“Investing in the overall operations of core partners can ease financial pressures on leaders, allowing them to invest their energy and resources in staff, technology, and other infrastructure needs,” said Brenda Sharpe.

The organizations selected for funding will receive two-year grants in the amount of $100,000. Carla Gibson, REACH Vice President of Programs, said this cohort includes four new organizations, two of which were identified through the foundation’s deep commitment to investing in Black-led and Black-serving organizations.

“The foundation’s attention to health equity informed decisions to add additional Black- and Brown-led organizations to our core partner cohort in 2022, and again this year,” said Gibson.

“Our grantmaking and community engagement activities connected us to nonprofits that are working in their communities to address health disparities – from maternal health supports for Black women to mental health, housing, employment and other support services for formerly incarcerated and unhoused women. These nonprofits are deeply focused on opportunity gaps and persistent disparities.”

The following organizations have been awarded $100,000 grants:

• Beacon Mental Health (formerly Tri-County Mental Health Services, Inc.)
• Community Care Network of Kansas
• Community Health Council of Wyandotte County Inc.
• Compass Health, Inc.
• Comprehensive Mental Health Services
• Health Partnership Clinic
• Johnson County Mental Health Center
• KC CARE Health Center
• Missouri Primary Care Association
• ReDiscover
• Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center, Inc.
• Sisters in Christ
• United Community Services of Johnson County
• Uzazi Village
• Vibrant Health
• Wyandot Behavioral Health Network

Note: Organizations in bold are new core partners for 2024-2025.