CareSource Foundation Funding in 2019 Strengthens Communities

As the CareSource Foundation completed the last round of 2019 funding, the final number of gifts include 171 grants for a total donation of $1.62 million.  The Foundation awards grants to nonprofits who are working to eliminate poverty, provide much-needed services to low-and moderate-income families, encourage healthy communities, develop innovative approaches to address critical health issues and enhance the lives of a diverse range of children, adults and families.  

“With meaningful, measurable social innovation as our north star, we continue to make headway on some of our toughest social issues, “said Cathy Ponitz, vice president of the CareSource Foundation. “As a result, we’re seeing big, exciting outcomes in all of our markets.”

CareSource Foundation Funding Positively Impacts Healthy Birth Outcomes

In 2016, the CareSource Foundation launched “Care Home”—a housing strategy for ten pregnant, homeless or high-risk members. After wrapping them in supports, the mothers gave birth to ten healthy, full-weight babies. The City of Columbus suggested the Foundation replicate the CareSource model for significantly more members in Franklin County, Ohio. CareSource is well into implementation of the expanded “Healthy Beginnings at Home” and currently have almost 100 members in the program and anticipate equally successful birth outcomes.

New Partnership Strategies Address Social Determinants of Health

Focusing on food access innovation and leading-edge approaches to social determinants, over 400 organizations from Indiana and Kentucky participated in the new open Request for Proposal approach and worked closely with the Foundation team. As a result, nine finalists are now actively working their two-year strategies.

Find answers to the CareSource Foundation’s frequently asked questions online.

The CareSource Foundation partnered with the national David & Lucille Packard Foundation to reverse the rates of decline in children covered by Medicaid and reduce Ohio’s rate to less than 4%.

Additionally, partnering with Building Hope in the City in Cleveland, Ohio created broad opportunity around workforce development for over 500 individuals who are part of the growing refugee community in northeast Ohio.

In Dayton, Ohio, the Foundation partnered with Omega Hope Center to address multi-generational poverty and the lack of safe senior housing. The primary goal of the center is to become a hub providing unique services and a bridge to community resources.

Recognizing the intersection of literacy and economic success, the CareSource Foundation supports Ohio Governor DeWine’s Imagination Library to provide free books every month to each child under four years old in Montgomery County

Unique Opportunities to Engage with Community Leaders

More than 26,000 people in Montgomery County, Ohio, are at risk of not being counted in the U.S. Census. That equates to a loss of more than $470 million in federal funding over ten years. The Foundation investment of $30 thousand encourages engagement and ensures all critical services remain intact.

Since launching the Poverty Simulation partnership with Think Tank almost a decade ago, the program has reached more than 7,000 community leaders. As a result, legislators are now advocating for substantial policy change, college administrators are increasing scholarship programs for low-income students and corporations are shifting their charitable funding to a stronger health and human services focus. Perhaps most exciting this year, the Foundation held a massive poverty simulation on the very first day of school for first-year medical students at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

CareSource Employee Engagement in Communities

Over the course of the year, 1,446 CareSource employees participate in team building volunteer opportunities providing almost 7,000 hours of support to nonprofit partners in each market—a value of $166,000 worth of volunteer labor. That includes three Mass Food Distributions which provided 321,000 pounds of food to 6,500 adults and children. Hundreds of CareSource employees volunteered their time and donated supplies to support the tornado disasters in Dayton. In addition, almost 80% of senior management actively participate on at least one nonprofit board or task force.

CareSource broke all previous United Way records with a $566,000 campaign, topping the half-million dollar mark for a second consecutive year. Every office location in every market exceeded their goals.

Since the launch of CareSource’s Summer Internship Program eight years ago, more than 120 young professionals have participated and many of them hired. The program has created a pipeline brimming with young professionals who bring vibrant perspective and energy to CareSource teams while paving the way for purposeful generational diversity. Many graduates of the program are now currently working in full time positions at CareSource.

Read more about the CareSource Foundation online.