Community Benefit Grants and Sponsorships

Community benefit grants

St. Charles Health System has been contributing to programs that benefit the communities it serves since its inception. St. Charles makes it a priority to take care of medically underserved and disadvantaged populations throughout Central Oregon by funding community benefit programs that will improve population health and improve the social, economic and environmental conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age in a sustainable, cost-effective manner.  

Applications for funding are submitted to the St. Charles Community Benefit Department and vetted based on their alignment with St. Charles strategic priorities, identified need, impact on target population and other application qualifications. In order for a community health initiative to be considered for approval, applications must address one or more of the following priorities: 

• Improve access to health care services 
• Enhance the health of the community 
• Address health disparities or social determinants of health in response to an identified community need 
• Advance medical or health care knowledge 
• Relieve or reduce the burden on government or other community efforts 

Projects/programs unlikely to be funded:

• Organizations not serving Crook, Deschutes, or Jefferson counties.
• Legislative advocacy groups, endowment funds, multiple-year commitments.
• Religious organizations, for the purpose of furthering a specific religious doctrine.
• Requests that benefit a specific person or family.
• Field trips or sports teams.
• Organizations that discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, age, disability, national origin or immigration status, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information or any other protected class or characteristic.
• Organizations that do not have a process in place to ensure that the event will remain free of offensive, hateful, discriminatory content and actions.

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Available grants: 

Basic needs grants 

In order to be considered for approval, applications must address one or more of the categories listed below. Grants are awarded quarterly: 

• Focus on unmet needs in underserved and vulnerable populations 
• Provide clearly defined project description and population served 
• Be collaborative, involving partnerships with St. Charles Health System and other organizations 
• Reduce duplication of efforts 
• Demonstrate project innovation, in line with best practices and demonstrate potential impact 
• Use quality indicators to measure progress and outcomes, reporting results and sharing them widely to attract more resources 
• Plan for self-sufficiency, where appropriate 

IDEA Grant

In 2020, St. Charles began the process of understanding where our organization may be falling short around the topics of inclusivity, diversity, equity and acceptance (IDEA). To find solutions, we have engaged in conversations with our diverse populations, listened, learned and are committed to improving our culture. We are committed to educating ourselves to better understand community issues through diversity, equity and inclusion development training and to seek out opportunities to better reflect our communities.

To that end, we are adopting a new grant category that is centered around supporting community partners who aspire to integrate IDEA best practices alongside our organization. This grant category is intended to help organizations implement the foundational principles of IDEA into their organizations to better serve their target population.

To be eligible to apply, organizations must meet the following criteria:

• Be a 501(c)3 nonprofit entity
• Demonstrate a direct focus on advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and acceptance in the community
• Be able to clearly define the project and population served for the grant request
• Demonstrate project innovation, in alignment with best practices and the potential impact of the program

Proposals can be submitted at any time and requests are reviewed two times a year in May and September.  

Apply Online