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PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS

Grantmaking

We invest in programs and projects that contribute to improving systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs and their families.

White red-haired teenage boy in a wheelchair with his caretaker lovingly wrapping her arms around him from behind - they are in a physical therapy space with a ball pit, climbing equipment

Our Grantmaking Strategy

We believe CYSHCN and their families deserve access to a health care system that works for them. That means funding and advising projects that are working to transform and improve health care systems and policies. 

We pursue systems change through three areas: care coordination, family engagement, and system standards. We give priority to programs and projects that affect many children and families, build on existing knowledge, and have the potential to be replicated and sustained.

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Families as Full Partners

Families as Full Partners

Transformation cannot happen without engaging families as full partners in the planning and implementation of health care policies and programs. We require our grantees to engage family members in meaningful ways in all grant-funded activities, and to compensate families for their time and expertise.

Appropriate compensation of family experts

  • encourages equal partnership throughout all stages of a project,
  • builds capacity for diverse representation of families,
  • reduces barriers to participation, and
  • demonstrates the value of the parent voice.

Committed to Health Equity

In the United States, access to quality health care, adequate insurance coverage, and the chance for lifelong health is unequal. This access varies depending on who you are, where you live, how much money you earn, and more. The impact of health inequities is multiplied for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), who have greater requirements for health and social services than other children and often face discrimination. We firmly believe that characteristics such as race, ethnicity, language, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and abilities should not affect anyone’s access to needed resources and services. 

Through our grantmaking, thought leadership, and advocacy, we actively and intentionally partner with grantees in identifying opportunities to address inequities in systems of care for CYSHCN and their families. We also work internally to ensure that our work is inclusive by engaging family experts from a range of perspectives to review grant proposals, and by providing resources that ensure our work is accessible to all stakeholders.

Our Commitment to Health Equity

For Grantseekers

Applicant Criteria

Image reads: Please note: We are not currently accepting Letters of Intent for grant proposals.
In order to be considered for grant funding, your organization and project must meet the criteria outlined below.

Organizations must

  • be classified as tax exempt under 501(c)(3) OR be a public or educational entity; be a collaboration of nonprofit and public agencies with a designated fiscal sponsor; or be an entity that has a charitable purpose, and
  • promote and maintain nondiscriminatory policies in programs and the workplace.

The Foundation may consider providing support for conferences, but the content of the conference must advance the Foundation’s mission and align with our focus areas. 

We do not fund

  • disease- or condition-specific projects,
  • support for direct service programs,
  • biomedical research or technology-based applications,
  • religious organizations,
  • fundraising sponsorships, endowments, capital campaigns, or annual fund appeals, or
  • individuals.

For Grantees

Submit Reports and Deliverables for Your Grant

Reports should include your funded project’s major accomplishments and all results. Please address the impact the project had or will have on the field, any changes you made to the project as it progressed, and lessons learned that may be helpful to future grantees.

Grantees should submit reports and deliverables through the Grant Portal. 

Go to the Grant Portal

If you are a grantee who did not submit your original proposal through the Grant Portal, please use the following templates for reporting:

View Grants Awarded

Looking for current or previous grants? Use the button below to access the searchable list of all grants awarded by the Foundation.

Grants Awarded

Browse Our Resource Library

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screenshot of first page of the toolkit

California Children’s Services Due Process Toolkit

Research & Reports |

screenshot of first page of article in Pediatrics journal

Hospital Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts: Perspectives of Patient and Family Advisors

Journal Articles |

The Future of Care for Children with Medical Complexity Virtual Café #4: Family-Driven Approach to Understand Family Well-being and Its Facilitators

The Future of Care for Children with Medical Complexity Virtual Café #4: Family-Driven Approach to Understand Family Well-being and Its Facilitators

Event and Webinar Recaps |

CYSHCN Events

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The Future of Care for CMC Virtual Café #6: Sustainability and Strategic Partnerships

Join Café 6 of The Future of Care for Children with Medical Complexity Virtual Café Series to learn about a strategic yet practical perspective for advancing sustainable care coordination/integration despite its elusive challenges. This interdisciplinary café-style series is led by the Center for Innovation in Social Work and Health at the Boston University School of Social Work.