The Kansas Health Foundation is a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of all Kansans.

As president and chief operating officer of Wesley Medical Center in the early 1980s, Don Stewart envisioned a way to reach people throughout Kansas beyond the traditional forms of medical care. His vision of philanthropy became instrumental in the sale of Wesley in 1985 and the creation of what is today the Kansas Health Foundation.

Now, Stewart is coming out of retirement to return to the Foundation as interim president. Prior to his retirement, Stewart served as a vice president at the Foundation and has continued his involvement by contributing as a consultant and special adviser.

“I feel honored that the board members have put their faith in me during this transition period,” Stewart said. “The Foundation staff is composed of outstanding individuals who are truly dedicated to the organization’s mission, and it is a privilege working with them.”

In addition to his time at Wesley, Stewart also served as administrator of what was then known as Hadley Regional Medical Center in Hays, Kan.

For Stewart’s complete biography, click here.

In the world of competitive federal grant programs, a professional, top-notch grant proposal is crucial to receiving any level of funding. The question then becomes how to best assist deserving organizations in Kansas that may not have the time or resources to put together such a proposal.

With the backing of a three-year, $274,000 grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, the Institute for Educational Research and Public Service at the University of Kansas (IERPS) was able to provide these services, resulting in 44 successful grant applications. The awarding of these grants to school districts, community organizations and agencies throughout the state brings more than $26 million in federal grant money to Kansas, with individual awards ranging from $1,500 to more than $3 million to support a variety of public health and children’s programs.

The most recent grant writing cycle was the second phase of Kansas Health Foundation grants for this program. Originally started in 1998 as a way for Kansas school districts to stay competitive for funding from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, the initiative has now branched out to include other projects and nonprofit entities.

At the conclusion of the 21st Century grant writing assistance initiative in 2001, Kansas organizations had received 52 grant awards totaling more than $62 million. When combined with other federally competitive funds brought in with the aid of grant writing assistance, Kansas was ranked in the top ten nationally in both the number of grant awards and total funding – nearly $75 million – over the course of the grant writing assistance.

Deborah Ballard-Reisch is completing her first semester since joining the Wichita State University faculty as the Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Chair in Strategic Communication for the Elliott School of Communication. She recently gave her inaugural public lecture and this semester led a communication seminar class in strategic health communication.

In August 2005 the Foundation announced its $2 million gift to WSU to create the Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Chair in Strategic Communication. It is the largest endowment gift ever given to support faculty within the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“When I first saw the position announced, I just said to myself, ‘They’re looking for me,’” Ballard-Reisch said. “I look forward to working with the Elliott School, WSU and the Kansas Health Foundation to determine the areas where I can be most effective in this position.”

Ballard-Reisch was hired for the position following a nationwide search, and she comes to Wichita after holding numerous positions at the University of Nevada-Reno since 1985.

To learn more about Ballard-Reisch, click here.

More than $500,000 in grants has been distributed to nonprofit organizations across the state as part of the fall cycle of this year’s recognition grant program.

The program is a competitive grant process open to any tax-exempt, nonprofit organization using the funds for charitable purposes and proposing a project meeting the Foundation's mission. There are two application deadlines for the program: March 15 for the spring cycle and Sept. 15 for the fall cycle.

Grant funds this fall were awarded to more than 40 different organizations with projects ranging from youth leadership programs to the promotion of early childhood health screenings.

A complete list of this cycle’s recipients can be found here.

The Kansas Health Foundation is pleased to launch this digital form of Health Issues, the Foundation’s newsletter. We hope to use this publication in the future to highlight the outstanding organizations and people working throughout the state to provide education, services and support to our fellow Kansans.

Health Issues will be published quarterly in 2008, and we look forward to providing information about the Foundation’s grantmaking and sharing stories of the amazing work being done across Kansas.

If you know of people who would enjoy receiving Health Issues, please direct them to our website where they can add their names to the e-mail list.

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