Systems Change Grants

Overview

Vitalyst Health Foundation is on a mission to connect, support, and inform efforts to improve the health of individuals and communities in Arizona.

Established following the sale of the St. Luke’s Health System to a for-profit corporation in 1996, the foundation operated as St. Luke’s Charitable Health Trust (1996–1999) and St. Luke’s Health Initiatives (2000–2016).

Over its history, Vitalyst has invested more than $130 million into Arizona health, in areas ranging from statewide health policy to local community gardens. Along the way, the organization has established itself as a thought leader, convener, framer, and catalyst of key health initiatives and coalitions.

Systems Change
This change is one that is fully sustainable and not connected to grant funds or external expectations, but rather an organizational or cross-system priority to new policies, culture, communication or practices.

Health Equity Lens
Equity is a lens through which to view every opportunity, decision, or action. Using this lens means taking an approach to determining all strategies, both universal and focused.

Community Partnership
True partnership involves meaningfully engaging key stakeholders from the beginning, sharing ownership and decision-making, and creatively using existing community resources and assets.

Sustainability
Sustainability is the difference between funding a program and funding a project. The goal with Systems Change grants is to create lasting change, either through policy or practice, that is sustainable past the grant funding period.
 
Health Outcomes Focus
Health is at the root of what we do. These grants must clearly identify which health outcome(s) will be improved, including the population driving and benefiting from the change and the mechanism(s) for how the policy/practice change is improving the health outcome.

The work should utilize a health equity lens to address one or more Elements of a Healthy Community to create a solution that is more effective, equitable and sustainable than existing approaches.

Letters of Intent due October 29, 2021 and will be assessed based upon clear and concise responses. Please view our Information Session for additional information.

Based upon the review process of the Letter of Intent, applicants may be invited to submit a full proposal.