Baystate Health Awards $500,000 in Better Together Grants to Community Initiatives

2024 grants awarded to projects with a focus on advancing youth well-being

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Baystate Health, in partnership with the Community Benefits Program, announced the recipients of the 2024 Better Together Grants.

This year, proposals considered focused on advancing youth well-being through strategic interventions that seek to decrease adverse youth mental health outcomes. Projects funded by Better Together must apply a social determinants of health framework, be evidence based, include routine performance evaluation, and align with Baystate’s community health needs assessment.

“Baystate is proud to award 2024 Better Together grants to projects that advance youth well-being through strategic interventions that seek to decrease adverse youth mental health outcomes,” said Dr. Tyonne Hinson, Senior Vice President & Chief Diversity, Health Equity, and Inclusion Officer. “We recognize that addressing youth mental health is not limited to clinical and traditional medical settings. These grants were awarded to organizations implementing initiatives that focus on the development of strategies and practices to address social determinants of health, access, and the social environment to make our communities a healthier and safer place to live.”

Baystate Health is pleased to announce the five winning proposals of the 2024 Better Together grants, totaling $500,000 in funding.

The recipients selected in a highly competitive bid are:

• Community Legal Aid ($100,000 for their Family Preservation Project)
• Follow My Steps Foundation ($100,000 for their Steps to Empowerment Program)
• Latino Counseling Center ($100,000 for their Mindful Connections/Conexiones Conscientes)
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services ($100,000 for their Beat the Odds Project)
• Springfield Pride Parade Organization ($100,000 for their Safe Space Program)

Funding for the Better Together grants is made possible through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (MDPH) Determination of Need (DoN) requirements. In addition to funding the grantees, Baystate Health has also contracted with the Public Health Institute of Western Mass to provide technical assistance and evaluation support to the grantee cohort over the next one to two years.

Learn more about Baystate Health’s Community Benefits Program.