Application Period Open for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island 2023 BlueAngel Community Health Grant program

Rhode Island nonprofit agencies invited to apply for grant support for initiatives that support access to healthy and affordable housing

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (July 1, 2022) – Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) is now accepting applications for 2023 BlueAngel Community Health Grants. The program will fund initiatives supporting access to healthy and affordable housing. Especially welcome are applications from health and human services organizations that respond to ongoing housing needs in innovative ways.

Grants will continue to address the findings of the RI Life Index, a data resource focused on social factors, like access to nutritious food, quality education, and human services that have an outsize influence on health and well-being. The RI Life Index, now in its fourth year, has consistently found that availability of, and access to, safe and affordable housing is a significant concern and challenge for many Rhode Islanders. Investing in access to safe and affordable housing is an important step in an overall strategy to increase health equity in Rhode Island.

BCBSRI first began awarding BlueAngel Community Health grants in support of housing interventions in 2020, and in the past three years has awarded more than $1.4 million to 15 organizations encompassing a myriad of services including housing navigation, legal protections and counsel, landlord outreach and education and transitional housing and supportive services.

“The pandemic exacerbated inequities across all the social determinants of health, especially housing, said Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI’s managing director of corporate social responsibility. “Even with the momentum of additional funding sources for housing, including $250 million in the 2023 state budget, we know there is more required to meet the tremendous need in our state. We believe that our grants can continue to make a real difference toward health equity for all Rhode Islanders.”

The BlueAngel Community Health Grant program is an annual competitive grant program that allows BCBSRI to further its vision of passionately leading a state of health and well-being across Rhode Island in partnership with community-based agencies. The 20-year-old program is the cornerstone of BCBSRI’s community-investment activities, having contributed more than $5.5 million in funding to Rhode Island-based nonprofits since its inception.

Through the 2023 BlueAngel Community Health Grant program, BCBSRI aims to:

• Fund organizations and programs that will result in more Rhode Islanders being able to afford safe, healthy and stable housing.
• Increase awareness about safe, affordable housing as a shared public concern, underscoring why housing matters and its connection to overall health.
• Highlight solutions and amplify effective models to support access to safe and affordable housing by funding proven and replicable local- and state-level initiatives, with an emphasis on collaborations across different sectors.

To apply for a BlueAngel Community Health Grant, Rhode Island nonprofit agencies are invited to submit a letter of intent before August 5, 2022. Letters will be reviewed by a committee to determine which programs best fit the criteria for the program and selected agencies will be notified to submit a full proposal for funding. Grantees will be notified in December 2022. For more information on the application process and for FAQs, visit: www.bcbsri.com/about/blueangel or email blueangel.news@bcbsri.org with any questions.