Eligibility Guidelines

Applicant not for profit organizations must be tax-exempt as defined by the IRS code, section 501(c) (3) and must be incorporated by the Secretary of State or be established by statute within a State and are therefore not be required to be incorporated.

• State or local government agencies or a unit of government provided they provide us with their Federal Employer Identification Number. The Foundation must be assured that our grant does not supplant existing funding for programs the grant supports and the governmental agency must agree to at a minimum continue the total level of funding provided by the grant when the grant expires.
• An applicant organization that is exempt under section 501(c)(1) or 501(c)(6) or 501(c)(9) of the Internal Revenue Code, incorporated by the Secretary of State and can provide a Federal Employer Identification Number or government entities who can provide enabling status.
• Applicant organizations must maintain ongoing operations, including staffing and programs, within Kansas City, Missouri, and/or the Missouri or Kansas service areas. All funded services/programs must be designed and carried out for the benefit of the target population living in these areas.
• Applicant organizations must be in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations related to non-discrimination, wage and hour laws, workplace safety, licensure, protection of confidential health care information and all other laws and regulations applicable to the staff, patients, consumers and the workplace of the applicant.
• Applicant organizations must have the demonstrated capacity to carry out program work funded by the grant, exercise financial controls and use generally accepted accounting procedures and they must have an annual audit performed by an independent CPA. Organizations who do not have a recent audit and IRS 990 will be required to use a fiscal agent.
• Applicant organizations’ policies and practices should be consistent with HCF Guiding Principles (https://hcfgkc.org/mission-vision-and-guiding-principles). In particular, for those considering applying, HCF would like to stress the importance of non-discriminatory policies and practices at the service, the employment and promotion, and governance levels. Those interested in applying should consider their responses to the following questions:
  (a) In both policy and practice does your organization provide services to clients regardless of their gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status?
  (b) In both policy and practice does your organization hire staff regardless of their gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status?
  (c) In both policy and practice does your organization promote staff regardless of their gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status?
  (d) In both policy and practice does your organization restrict membership to the Board of Directors based on their gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status?
  If the response to questions (a) through (c) is ‘no’, or if the response to question (d) is ‘yes’, potential applicants should contact HCF.

Fiscal Agents/Sponsors

Download Frequently Asked Questions About Fiscal Agents/Sponsors (doc)

Eligible Activities

The following activities are eligible for funding when consistent with HCF funding priorities, target populations and guiding principles:

• Organizational, administrative and technical assistance
• Religious organizations that are providing non-evangelizing activities/programs available to the general public and consistent with HCF principles of cultural diversity and cultural competence
• Access to quality healthcare
• Improvements in healthcare delivery (e.g. best practices, evidence-based practices, coordinated-integrated care)
• Support of professional training, education and workforce development for new and existing employees
• Publications, white papers, advocacy or social marketing projects that are legally allowable under the tax exempt status
• Quality of care education for individuals and/or organizations
• Cost of direct medical/mental health care to medically indigent and the underserved
• Cost of program evaluation to assure accountability and effectiveness
• Joint collaborations which leverage significant money from other resources
• Existing programs/activities or innovative new programs/activities that serve the medically indigent and the underserved
• Health care-related equipment and supplies
• Prevention education

Ineligible Costs And Activities

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Individuals for any reason, including paying for medical procedures, prescriptions, paying for health insurance, education, training, etc.
• Basic or applied biomedical research, biotechnology, laboratory studies
• Endowments or contributions to permanent funds or accounts that are intended to yield interest or dividend-bearing income for the support of staff, programs, services, or other operations
• Construction, purchase, non-mandated renovation, demolition or re-purposing of any physical facilities or real property
• Supplanting or offsetting the maintenance of effort by government, public entities, nor to supplant private funding
• Political campaigns to support and/or oppose candidates for public office
• Evangelizing activities of religious organizations
• Payment of bonds, loans, notes or any other form of sponsorship or outstanding debts of an applicant or its affiliate(s)
• Annual fundraising appeals

Non-Discrimination Policy

In awarding grants, the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, or veteran status. As part of the grant proposal, grantees will be required to affirm that, in providing services funded in whole or in part by the Foundation, the grantee will not discriminate or the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation or veteran status either in its employment practice or in its policies and procedures concerning access to services.

Reservation of Rights

The funding guidelines are general in nature and the Board or its Committees may from time to time and at their sole discretion, take actions that may deviate from these guidelines, in which case the official Board action is governing. The Board reserves the rights to unconditionally amend, modify, or waive these guidelines, in whole or in part, if the Foundation deems it in its best interest to do so.

Important Notice

Applicants for funding from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City should be aware that the Foundation is required to meet the requirements of the Missouri Open Meetings Law (Sunshine Law) in all respects. Materials submitted as part of any application are available to the public.