health equity

LSC    Impact & Programs     Health Equity

INCOME & HEALTH ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED.

In launching this Health Equity initiative, Life Science Cares Boston affirms our belief that:

• • Big thinking, creativity, community, empathy and an abundance of boundless love are required to tackle the multifaceted, pernicious nature of poverty.
  • Everyone should be afforded an equal opportunity to be healthy and well. No one should be disadvantaged from this due to their socioeconomic status and social circumstance. Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDH), which are often directly linked to income, is fundamental for reducing longstanding inequities and improving health, as SDH can be more important than healthcare or lifestyle choices in influencing one’s health.
  • Racial equity is foundational for not only social justice, but for reducing economic disparities. Based on decades of data showing medical racism and other systemic inequities have very real consequences on the health of communities of color, it is imperative that we conduct this grantmaking through a lens of racial justice.
  • Equipped with knowledge, passion, and resources, our industry is the right one to help us achieve our goal of a more equitable, compassionate, and healthy Boston.

CO-INVESTMENT MODEL

In order to invest as much financial support as possible into impactful, community-based organizations, we are actively seeking partners to co-invest in this effort.

We thank K2 HealthVentures for their support as a $500,000 seed funder and look forward to welcoming more partners to the table.

Specifically, we are looking for a commitment of a minimum of $50,000 over 2 years ($25,000/year). We are asking that pledges to this Initiative are made by September 1, 2024 so we can finalize the portfolio in time for grant payouts by end of the year.

This level of support allows us to give more deeply to the cohort of partners and/or add more partners to the cohort–both of which are meaningful opportunities to engage more deeply in this work. Co-investors are invited to join us as thought partners throughout the grantmaking process and duration of the grants.

Please reach out to Emily Stanford, LSC Boston Director of Development at [email protected] and Kelly Brawn, Head of Programs and Community Engagement at [email protected] for more information on how you can get involved as an individual or corporate investor in the Health Equity portfolio.

FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS:

Please see Life Science Cares Boston Guidelines: 2024 Application for Health Equity Grant for complete information on eligibility and how to apply.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for a grant, your organization must be a 501(c)3 public charity or operate under the fiscal sponsorship of a tax-exempt nonprofit.

An eligible organization must primarily be serving people living in poverty in Greater Boston. We understand “Greater Boston” to include communities within the I-95 corridor, but may make exceptions a bit beyond this geographical catchment at our discretion.

An eligible organization must be operated and organized so that it does not discriminate in the hiring of staff or the provision of services on the basis of race, religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin or disability.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:

June 25, 11:59 PM: Inquiry Form submission period closes

August 6, 11:59 PM: Deadline for organizations to submit a full application. We graciously encourage applicants to submit their requests in advance of this deadline when possible.

October 2, 2024: Scoping Meetings and any needed follow up must be completed.