With the percentage of people who are uninsured rising daily, the need for health care grants is also on the rise. People may need financial assistance for medical procedures or medications. Grants for health care are available from several types of foundations.
Foundations that give grants to individuals may allow grants to be used for medical expenses. Several foundations have a sole purpose of providing health care grants to individuals. These foundations often focus on a particular health issue such as asthma or cancer. Many provide grants to local residents while others are open to applicants from across the country.
Another resource is the corporate giving programs or foundations of medical and pharmaceutical companies. These foundations often have programs that provide small grants for health and wellness activities for customers. Drug companies may offer grants to individuals who have been prescribed one of their medications but cannot afford to purchase it.
Nonprofit health organizations and hospitals can also receive grants. Federal grants are available for medical service delivery and research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is one of the largest federal grantors of health care grants. Grant programs focus on new technology development, research, and delivery of services to underserved populations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers health care grants that focus on services to rural residents, including using telecommunications as a delivery method. Medical device companies may be eligible for grants through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for research and development of new devices. Additional health care grants may be available through the National Science Foundation (NSF) for individual physicians conducting targeting research that meet program guidelines.
Several national foundations coordinate health care grants to large organizations that focus on major health issues such as malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS/HIV. Others are interested in rewarding pioneering health care practices. They award annual grants to industry innovators.
National foundations also help communities develop community-wide health programs that address specific issues such as high cancer or smoking rates. Behavior modification is often an important component of health care plans. Grants for health programs have clearly defined goals that must be met and usually include public education on specified topics.
Local departments of health often coordinate community-wide programs although they may allocate some funds to grass roots organizations. Mental health care grants have most of the same requirements but involve different testing to measure progress. Grants for health are available from many sources and can be awarded to individuals as well as nonprofit organizations.