Representatives of the Lewis-Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation announced they are immediately opening an augmented Fast Track grant program to help qualifying health-related non-profit organizations in a nine county area deal with COVID-19, the coronavirus pandemic.
“The COVID pandemic has put tremendous strain on the organizations that serve our communities,” said Dr. John Rusche, President of the Board of Community Advisors for the foundation. “Not only is there an increased need for services, but most have lost their fund-raising events, a major source of necessary revenue for their activities. More need, less resources—we will try to help.”
The Fast Track grant program started last year during the second year of the foundation’s grant cycle. The Fast Track grant program is a quick turnaround grant. The grant is intended for nonprofits that focus on health, wellness and disease prevention and serve residents in a three-state, nine-county area. Including Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce counties in Idaho; Asotin, Garfield and Whitman in Washington; and Wallowa in Oregon.
The Fast Track grant application can be found on the foundation’s website Lewisclarkhealth.org.
“The rapid turnaround Fast Track program will open now instead of May 1 as we had anticipated, and we will increase the maximum size of those grants from $5,000 to $10,000,” Rusche said. “They must still be for organizations and activities that promote health, wellness and disease prevention and be within our nine-county area.”
“We will open the competitive application process for larger Impact Grants soon, but the board believes it is important to distribute Fast Track grants to community organizations as quickly as possible,” Rusche said. “We also encourage others to donate to local efforts to address this emergency.”
The Lewis-Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation was established in 2017 by Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden as part of the sale of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center by Ascension Health to RCCH Healthcare Partners. The Idaho Attorney General’s office established specific guidelines for the grants. Last year, the Foundation gave away more than $800,000 in grants in its second funding cycle.
The Idaho Attorney General’s office set up specific guidelines as to which categories of organizations are eligible to apply and what kind of grants may receive funds. Those eligible to apply for grants are nonprofit tax-exempt organizations with 501(c)(3) classification from the IRS, and governmental entities, if used exclusively for charitable purposes of the trust. All proposals must be for health, wellness, or disease prevention to qualify.
Idaho Trust Bank has been designated as the foundation’s trustee.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Contact: Dr. John Rusche, Chairman, Board of Community Advisors, at 208-750-6048, or jmrusche@gmail.com
Contact: Desiree Prohaska, Idaho Trust Bank, at 208-770-2128, or info@lewisclarkhealth.org