When Kansans speak, the Health Foundation listens.

We teamed up with the Center for Effective Philanthropy for a 2008 survey to ask people across the state for feedback about the Kansas Health Foundation. Almost 150 people shared with us the major health issues they see in the state, and they asked for more information about our Foundation’s goals and areas of focus.

The Foundation has taken those ideas and opinions to heart. In response to this survey as well as speaking with hundreds of other Kansans during listening tours and meetings, we recently decided to refine our areas of focus and offer more details about the goals we have set in our determination to improve the health of all Kansans.

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After a devastating tornado destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg in May 2007, this small Kansas town realized it had a choice: Change or die.

Greensburg chose to change, but people there agree that their town is far from the only community in the state facing a life-or-death situation. In a candid panel discussion recently with the Kansas Health Foundation board, many Greensburg residents said rural communities across the state need a wake-up call.

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A few years ago, the Kansas Health Institute saw that the mainstream media was struggling to cover policy issues, and it took action. KHI stepped in to fill that gap by creating a news service that specializes in health policy.

Today, KHI News Service has established itself as a source of must-read material for many lawmakers, state workers and health care providers. It averages about 1,500 unique online visitors every day, and this Kansas project has inspired organizations in Colorado, Florida and New York to consider launching similar news services. The Kaiser Family Foundation followed KHI’s lead and started a similar news service that has a bureau in Washington, D.C.

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The Kansas Health Foundation has opened the second chapter of our Giving Resources to Our World (GROW) Healthy Kansas Initiative, and 51 community foundations across the state are expressing interest in being a part of this program.

The goal of GROW II is to work with community foundations to help build local philanthropic leadership and resources that will result in long-term, sustained health improvements in communities throughout the state. When potential GROW II foundations were required to send representatives to one of the application workshops recently held in Garden City, Manhattan, Hutchinson and Fredonia, 145 people attended to learn more about this competitive application process.

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Applying for a Recognition Grant from the Kansas Health Foundation just got easier, which is good because the due date for nonprofit organizations to apply for Fall 2009 funding is right around the corner.

All applications must be complete and received by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Instead of downloading a grant application, filling it out by hand and sending it through the mail, you just need to follow our simple new electronic grant application form using the link on our home page at www.kansashealth.org. Once your application is completed, you will get an immediate notification that your application has been received for consideration.

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One of the Kansas Health Foundation’s cornerstones for the past 10 years has been leadership training, because giving Kansans the skills and confidence to become involved strengthens the fabric of their communities.

The Kansas Health Foundation started funding the Kansas Community Leadership Initiative in 1999. “This project sowed seeds of confidence, teamwork and vision, and in the past 10 years, those seeds have blossomed into an array of amazing changes across our state,” says Steve Coen, president and CEO of the Foundation.

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The Kansas Health Foundation is pleased to, for the first time, present our annual report in an all-digital format. We invite you to take a moment and learn more about the Foundation’s grants and finances from 2008. We are so fortunate to partner with outstanding organizations across the state on these grants, and we look forward to many more years of working toward our mission to improve the health of all Kansans.

To view the 2008 annual report, click here.

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