San Jose, CA – On December 15, 2021, The Health Trust’s Board of Trustees approved a set of new grants totaling $1,068,000 to nine local organizations addressing food insecurity, housing and long-term care of vulnerable populations, and mental health support for communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the nonprofit providers supporting them.
In the second quarter of The Health Trust’s 2022 grantmaking cycle, the Silicon Valley based nonprofit operating foundation will invest $598,000 as part of its $2.2 million annual philanthropic fund supporting community organizations and public agencies aligned with its mission of building health equity. Four grants under its Health Partnership Fund have been awarded to Community Food Bank of San Benito County, Martha’s Kitchen, Valley Verde, and Working Partnerships USA, and one grant has been awarded under its Emerging Opportunity Fund to 1440 Foundation.
The approved grants will remove barriers to food access and support healthy locally grown food, nutritious meals and groceries for low-income residents in San Benito and Santa Clara counties; and support Long Term Support Services for older adults, adults with chronic conditions, and adults with disabilities. A pilot program grant also invests in mental health and rejuvenation support for nonprofit leaders and staff experiencing stress and burnout due to providing services during the pandemic and growing social challenges.
An additional $470,000 from The Health Trust’s temporary $1M COVID-19 Recovery increased payout was awarded to Roots Community Health Center – South Bay, School Health Clinics, Sun Street Center, and West Valley Community Services. This cohort of grants aims to address a range of elements impacting accessibility to mental health support for low-income households, including affordability, availability, and combating stigma. The COVID-19 Recovery Fund prioritizes communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, including: East San Jose residents, Latino/a/x and Black residents, and residents in South Santa Clara County and San Benito County.
Health Partnership Grant Awards
Community Food Bank, San Benito County
Remove barriers to food access for low-income residents in San Benito County by stabilizing and strengthening the operations of the Community Food Bank.
Martha’s Kitchen
Continue providing high quality nutritious meals and groceries in San Benito County, including the distribution of 4,000 hot meals for the unhoused, and distribution of 74,000 pounds of groceries.
Valley Verde
Support the increase in access to healthy, organic, and culturally preferred produce for low-income families in Santa Clara County by investing in the purchase of land for a permanent home for the organization, and the launch of the Shared Garden Program at George Mayne Elementary School project in Alviso.
Working Partnerships USA
Provide transitional support for the core work of the Long Term Support Services Committee supporting older adults, adults with chronic conditions, adults with disabilities in Santa Clara County.
Emerging Opportunity Fund Award
1440 Foundation
Pilot Healing Our Non-profit Leaders, a program designed to provide nonprofit leaders and staff the opportunity to recover from the stresses and challenges brought by COVID-19 and racial reckoning.
COVID-19 Recovery Awards
Mental Health Cohort
Support a cohort of organizations addressing a range of elements impacting accessibility to mental health support for low-income and extremely low-income households in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including affordability, availability, and combating stigma.
School Health Clinics
Improve access to integrated behavioral healthcare services by 1) strengthening practice system improvements to improve coordination between newly integrated physical and behavioral healthcare providers; and 2) expanding behavioral health services through increased behavioral health staffing.
Sun Street Center
Ensure that women in Sun Street Centers’ Substance Use Disorder program in Hollister receive mental health support while in the program, and upon discharge are referred to local continued support, as needed, to attain long-term health goals.
Roots Community Clinic
Destigmatize and rebrand mental health within the communities we serve, while fostering healthier beliefs, attitudes, and decision making around behavioral health at the individual, community, and organizational levels.
West Valley Community Services
Provide mental health support to WVCS clients to develop tools to manage stress, anxiety, and depression, and support long-term household stability and self-sufficiency; and to provide vicarious trauma and/or psychological first aid training to WVCS employees.
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About The Health Trust
The Health Trust was formed in 1996 from the sale of three non-profit hospitals, establishing an endowment designated to fund external community partners addressing medically-related community needs. Since then, we have served Silicon Valley as a nonprofit operating foundation, annually investing over $2M to nonprofit and public agencies that support the health and wellbeing of residents in Santa Clara and northern San Benito counties. The Health Trust also provides direct services and advocates for policies and initiatives that help achieve our mission to build health equity in Silicon Valley. To learn more, please visit healthtrust.org.
Contact: Maria Garcia | mariag@healthtrust.org | 408.513.8729