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The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health), which was established in July 1999, is the state’s largest independent, nonprofit grant-making foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of Connecticut through systemic change and program innovation. Since it was established, CT Health has awarded 445 grants in 44 cities and towns totaling $37.5 million.
After meeting with state agencies, community leaders and health care professionals, the foundation selected three program areas to focus its resources:
Improving Access to Children’s Mental Health Services
Reducing Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Expanding Access to and Utilization of Children's Oral Health Services
Aside from directly supporting community-based and institutional grant proposals, CT Health fosters discussions surrounding public health issues by convening meetings, conferences, educational briefings, grantee technical assistance workshops, etc.
The foundation also invests resources to conduct objective, nonpartisan policy research on issues important to the public health care debate, such as the state budget spending cap, the state’s Medicaid system and expanding oral health care for publicly insured children throughout the state.
The foundation was created when health maintenance organization ConnectiCare, Inc. converted to a for-profit entity. Under an agreement approved by the Connecticut attorney general, CT Health received 100 percent of the equity in ConnectiCare, thereby creating the Connecticut Health Foundation. The foundation became officially endowed in June 2001, upon approval of the sale of its shares to private investors, which resulted in an initial endowment of $132 million.
The foundation’s board of directors made a commitment to examine the underlying causes of barriers to health care among the unserved and underserved by directing five percent of its endowment toward grant-making operations each year.
For more information about CT Health, please click onto www.cthealth.org, or contact Maryland Grier, public affairs officer, at 860.224.2200 or Maryland@cthealth.org.
