Health Equity Assistance Fund
The State of Montana has received funding in a two-year grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to Address Health Disparities and Advance Health Equity Among Populations that are at High-Risk and Underserved. The funding is part of the federal COVID response under the American Rescue Plan. The CDC specifically required an allocation of funds for rural areas. The funds are provided through a two-year CDC grant (ending on 5/31/2024) to MT Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS). DPHHS is contracting with the Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center (MORH/AHEC) to implement the project.
Health Equity Mini Grants
The map below shows where MORH/AHEC funded mini grant projects are located across the state. Blue pins indicate Health Equity Mini Grant sites while Yellow pins indicate Mental and Behavioral Health Mini Grant Sites. You can read about each project below.
Health Equity Mini Grants are designed to support projects around the state that work to advance health equity for communities most heavily impacted by health disparities.
| Region | Organization | Priority Area | Project Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western | Mineral County Health Department |
Access to Care STI Prevention |
Increase access to discrete education, testing, and treatment for Hepatitis C, HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis within Mineral County. |
| Snqweylmistn |
American Indian Leadership in Health Equity Nutrition |
Teach the importance of traditional gathering of foods and medicines through experiential learning for youth on the Flathead Reservation to address food insecurity in the community. | |
| North Central | Big Sandy Medical Center |
Access to Care Transportation |
Screen area residents for pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes by offering free A1C lab testing to American Indians, Hutterites, and older adults. |
| Lewis and Clark County Public Health Department |
Access to Care/Screening Aging Population |
Provide outreach and education to women in Meagher County regarding the importance and availability of breast and cervical cancer screenings and increase the number of women in Meagher County who receive screening. |
|
| Logan Health - Conrad |
Access to Care |
Bring Point of Care Testing (POCT) into the local school district in order to provide better access to care for students and faculty and allow for rapid assessment of community illness. | |
| Toole County Health Department |
Injury Prevention Chronic Disease Prevention |
Provide properly fitted helmets to children in the community ages 2-19 to prevent injuries, promote exercise, and promote the use of new community skate park and play structures. | |
| South Central | Beaverhead County Resource Assistance Center |
Service Coordination Low Income Services |
Provide assistance to individuals as they seek to obtain state and federal public assistance such as Medicaid, SNAP, and LIHEAP coverage, provide education to community members on available resources, and make referrals. |
| Anaconda Family Resource Center | Service Coordination | Facilitate meetings in Phillipsburg, Deer Lodge, and Anaconda to identify gaps in service and present ideas on how to fill the gaps in service through collaboration and collective impact. | |
| Eastern | Messengers for Health |
American Indian Leadership in Health Equity Access to Care |
Improve ability for Apsáalooke (Crow) tribal members to attend medical appointments
that are located outside reservation boundaries by providing transportation assistance. |
| 2023 Tobacco Warrior Summit |
American Indian Leadership in Health Equity Substance Use Prevention Mental and Behavioral Health |
Support the 2023 Tobacco Warrior Summit which addresses the abuse and prevention of
commercial tobacco in tribal communities as the primary disparity and also takes into consideration co-existing disparities such as mental health, suicide risk and or drug and alcohol addiction, and chronic disease. |
|
| Pėhévėstao'omenehe (Have a Good Life) |
American Indian Leadership in Health Equity Mental and Behavioral Health |
Provide a three-day outdoor summer camp for Northern Cheyenne male youth to connect
with Cheyenne land, identity, mentors, traditional activities, and cultural ways of integrating nutrition and mental health. |
|
| North Eastern | Valley Care Coalition |
Transportation Low Income Services Behavioral Health |
Increase access to affordable, nutritious food resources in Valley County by providing the local food bank with improvements needed for better food storage and distribution, provide transportation assistance to visit the food bank, medical appointments, and social service appointments. |
| Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital |
Access to Care Transportation |
Improve transportation access to Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital for patients who do not have adequate transportation in place. |
The Montana Office of Rural Health/AHEC received additional funding through our Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grants to support community mental and behavioral health projects across the state. These grantees were chosen out of the competiveve mini-grant pool.
| Region | Organization | Priority Area | Project Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western | Logan Health - Whitefish |
Access to Care Behavioral Health American Indian Leadership in Health Equity |
Form a local grassroots Indigenous Elder community in and around the Badrock Canyon area to develop community, resources, opportunities, and information to increase health equity, resilience, and wellness across the lifespan. |
| North Central | Logan Health - Cut Bank |
Access to Care Mental and Behavioral Health |
Provide additional behavioral health education, outreach and increased mental health care access to community members through school based care. |
| Blackfeet Tribe |
Aging Services Behavioral Health American Indian Leadership in Health Equity |
Provide information to elders 65+ and youth on the damages of commercial tobacco and
bring in community members to teach about traditional tobacco in ceremonial purposes of Native American culture. |
|
| South Central | Butte Cares | Mental and Behavioral Health | Implement the CDC's Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication on all social media and radio advertisement communications about suicide and substance use prevention that reach the 12 counties that comprise the South Central AHEC region. |
| Powell County Council on Aging |
Aging Services Mental Health |
Begin a program to match community volunteers with seniors and people with disabilities to provide socialization to combat loneliness, isolation, depression, and anxiety. | |
| Suffer Out Loud |
Mental Health Low Income Services |
Provide Mental Healthcare Scholarships to low-to-moderate income individuals so they
may pay for counseling sessions with a licensed mental health professional. |
|
| The Early Childhood Coalition of Beaverhead County |
Mental and Behavioral Health Access to Care |
Provide training funds to support mental health and trauma-informed practices to organizations and individuals working with youth at risk for, or currently experiencing, behavioral health challenges in Beaverhead County. |
Funding: This funding aims to encourage collaboration between grassroots organizations, critical access hospitals, and public health. Funding is structured accordingly.
Funding Restrictions: Funding may not be used to purchase food, vehicles, or incentives (gift cards). These federal funds can not be used to supplant local or state funds. Indirect costs may not exceed 10%.
Funding Structure
| Organization Type | Total Eligible to Apply for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grassroots | $5,000 | |
| Grassroots American Indian Focus | $8,000 | |
| Critical Access Hospital Alone | $5,000 | |
| Partnership |
$15,000 or $18,000 |
Partnerships between grassroots and hospital OR grassroots American Indian focus and hospital = extra $5,000 |
| Public Health | $2,000 | Bonus $2,000 for any project that includes local public health department |
| Max Total | $20,000 | Per region |
Eligibility: Eligible entities include non-profits, Critical Access Hospitals, and local Public Health Departments. Community groups may use a fiscal administrator. Multiple submissions from each region are allowed and multiple projects may be funded in each region, not exceeding $20,000.
Requirements: Funded projects must impact a rural community or population and align with findings from a local Community Health Needs Assessment or Community Health Improvement Plan.
Timeline: Funding will be dispersed May 1, 2023, and the grant period will end May 1, 2024.
** This is anticipated to be one time funding **
Reporting: Funded entities will be required to meet quarterly with MORH/AHEC to discuss progress and provide project updates including activity and budget updates.
Preference points: Preference points will be award to projects that impact American Indian communities, align with health equity priority areas defined by regional task forces, and include partnership between non-profits, Critical Access Hospitals, and local public health departments.
Western:
- Behavioral Health
- American Indian Leadership in Health Equity
- LGBTQIA+ Education in Healthcare
North Central:
- Transportation
- Aging Population
- American Indian Leadership in Health Equity
South Central:
- Service Coordination
- Behavioral Health /SUD Mental Health
- Aging Services
Eastern:
- American Indian Leadership in Health Equity
- Access to care
- Behavioral Health/SUD and Mental Health
North Eastern:
- Behavioral Health/SUD and Mental Health
- Workforce
- American Indian Leadership in Health Equity
Health Equity Training Funds
The Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center has funds available for organizations that impact rural communities and their health seeking training for staff in the following areas:
- Racial and ethnic minorities
- Rural health
- LGBTQ+
- Disability
- People 65+
- Religious minorities
- Low socioeconomic status
The intent of this funding is to provide organizations with the financial support they need to receive training and professional development on the above topics. Organizations may choose trainers or guest speakers they feel best suit their organization however trainers selected by funded organizations must reside in Montana. Out of state offerings may be considered but not favored.
These funds will be released in three $15,000 cycles throughout the year. Applicants may apply for up to $5,000 each. Organizations or individuals who have not been funded by previous cycles will be given higher priority than those who have been previously funded.
Cycle 1 Funded Entities:
- Nurtured Growth Learning Center, Inc.
- Open Aid Alliance
- Calling Our Spirits Forward
- Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate
Cycle 2 Funded Entities:
- Partnership Health Center
- Missoula City-County Health Department
- St. Peter's Health Foundation
Cycle 3: Opens October 1 - Closes November 1
Application now closed
