How to Apply
We are excited to provide our community partners with an online funding request process, which helps us determine your eligibility while collecting pertinent information needed to make a timely decision. We appreciate your interest in partnering with Baystate Health. Please carefully review the following information before beginning an application.
Better Together Grant Programs
Better Together Grant Programs are investments made in communities served by Baystate Health and our affiliated hospitals through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
Better Together Grants projects must:
- be evidence-based, promising or best practices as the basis for projects,
- apply a social determinants of health framework,
- align with hospital's triennial community health need assessment priorities, and/or an existing community health improvement plan, and
- include routine performance reporting and program evaluation.
Baystate Medical Center's Better Together Grant Request for Proposals is currently CLOSED as of March 27, 2024. The aim this year is to develop approaches that advance youth well-being through strategic interventions that seek to decrease adverse youth mental health outcomes. BMC recognizes that addressing youth mental health is not limited to clinical settings or traditional medical treatment, thus this grant opportunity encourages proposals that target social determinants of health and other community or cultural factors that improve people's overall well-being and make our communities healthier places to live.
Sign Up for Optional Office Hours
The BH Community Benefits Team will be available for office hours via Zoom. Office hours timeslots can be used for general inquiries related to the grant guidelines, technical application questions, and to receive feedback on a preliminary idea. Utilizing these office hours is highly encouraged to ensure adherence to grant criteria.
Office hours will take place every Monday from 11am-1pm and Fridays from 12pm-2pm from RFP release until the closing of the application cycle. Email Brittney Rosario to sign up for a 20 minute time slot. Please note that dates and times are subject to change and may need to be modified based on staff availability.
For more information on the current FY2024 BMC Better Together RFP process email Brittney Rosario.
Community Benefits Investments
Community Benefits Investments are awarded to organizations for initiatives that intend to generate a measurable impact. Funding will be awarded based on how well the initiative intends to strengthen social, health, economic, and environmental conditions to improve the health of our community. The initiative must also address one or more priority health needs identified in Baystate Health’s community health needs assessment and will require annual performance and impact reporting.
Community Benefit Investments are typically for one year and do not exceed $5,000.
Community Sponsorships
Community Sponsorships support organizations for one-time events or activities that intend to provide positive public awareness of Baystate Health and its services and/or programs. We embrace opportunities to build meaningful relationships between our community partners, our 12,500 team members, and our patients and families. Sponsorships must also align with one or more priority health needs identified in Baystate Health’s 2016 community health needs assessment.
Community sponsorships do not exceed $5,000.
Corporate Sponsorships
Corporate Sponsorships are financial investments greater than $10,000 that are designed to increase our brand awareness and improve the goodwill of Baystate Health as part of our overarching marketing and community relations strategy. We do not accept unsolicited requests or proposals for corporate sponsorships and prefer to take a more proactive role in identifying the organizations, initiatives, and events that best align with our mission, brand, and strategy.
Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for funding, requesting organizations must:
- be recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization or have a fiscal sponsor that is tax exempt certified,
- be located in or primarily provide services in a community where Baystate Health or an affiliate hospital is located,
- submit a completed application through our online system and provide all other requested documentation. Requests must be submitted online, and Baystate Health and affiliated hospitals will not respond to written inquiries seeking funding support.
Ineligible Organizations & Requests
Baystate Health does not support the following types of organizations and requests, even if an applicant meets all other eligibility criteria outlined above:
- Annual memberships and annual appeals
- Capital campaigns
- Endowments
- Faith based or religious organizations (direct service programs that serve people of all faiths and backgrounds may be eligible)
- Fraternal, labor and political organizations
- Golf tournaments
- Individuals
- Lobbying groups
Review and Approval Process
- To request Community Benefits Investments or Community Sponsorships, complete the online application.
- Your request will be initially reviewed by Baystate’s Office of Government and Community Relations.
- Requests that meet our criteria are then reviewed by hospital entity leadership or marketing for final decision.
- Better Together Grant Proposals are reviewed by hospital entity Community Benefits Advisory Councils whose recommendations are brought forward to the hospital entity leadership for final approval.
Questions about our online process, funding opportunities, and criteria may be directed to the Manager, Government & Community Relations, Annamarie Golden, annamarie.golden@baystatehealth.org.
Limitations
Baystate Health’s fiscal year is from October 1 – September 30. We will not consider more than one application per our fiscal year period from any single non-profit organization. Organizations that have received a Better Together Grant are not eligible for additional funding support until the following fiscal year.
See Funding Opportunities
Request Funding