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The Foundation joins with the World Health Organization in defining health, believing that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
To accomplish its mission, the Foundation focuses the majority of its grant-making efforts in the following areas:
Promoting the healthy behaviors of Kansas children
Instilling positive health behaviors during childhood can lead to a lifetime of good habits and overall health. The Foundation’s efforts in this area focus primarily on promoting three key behaviors — ensuring proper nutrition, increasing physical activity and decreasing tobacco use — that are directly related to the leading causes of death in Kansas and the nation.
Strengthening the public health system
A strong public health system is vital as it is intended to protect people from disease, disability and premature death. The Foundation seeks to strengthen and connect the critical components of the system in Kansas by addressing issues such as public health education, work force development for public health professionals, agency capacity building and bioterrorism preparedness.
Improving access to health care for Kansas children
This is the Foundation’s newest focus area, and, as such, specific priorities within this area are still being defined. While the Foundation will not be providing funding for direct medical care, it is possible that early priorities in this area will include enrollment and retention in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Growing community philanthropy
Funding in this area is primarily used to support the Giving Resources to Our World (GROW) program, in which the Foundation works with community foundations throughout Kansas to ensure local resources remain local. Currently, 12 community foundations are involved with this program, and, since inception, the Foundation’s investment in this area has leveraged the collective endowments of these foundations from $19 million to approximately $72 million.
Providing health data and information to policymakers
The Foundation works to ensure that accurate, adequate and accessible information is available to public, local and state leaders and policymakers so they can make informed decisions. In 1995, the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) was established to head this effort as an independent, nonprofit health policy and research organization based in Topeka, Kansas. To find out more about KHI, please visit www.khi.org.
Building civic leadership
The Foundation works to nurture the skills and resources needed for individuals to make changes possible in Kansas organizations and communities. Future work in this area will be strengthened through the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC), founded in 2007 as a Wichita-based organization dedicated to nurturing and building leaders throughout the state. To find out more about KLC, please visit www.kansasleadershipcenter.org.