Hartford Foundation Trustees Approve Two Grants Totaling $2.275 million
The John A. Hartford Foundation Board of Trustees has approved two grants totaling $2.275 million. One supports the implementation of a transformation business plan to expand the availability of palliative care and enhance the sustainability of longtime grantee the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), while the other aids Grantmakers In Aging’s goal of growing its membership and increasing the number of foundations engaged in aging-related philanthropy.
The John A. Hartford Foundation Board of Trustees has approved two grants totaling $2.275 million. One supports the implementation of a transformation business plan to expand the availability of palliative care and enhance the sustainability of longtime grantee the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), while the other aids Grantmakers In Aging’s goal of growing its membership and increasing the number of foundations engaged in aging-related philanthropy.
The board approved a $2 million grant over five years to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City to support the sustainability of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and further expand the availability of palliative care services by supporting implementation of CAPC’s transformation business plan. Hartford’s $2 million grant, coupled with a $6 million gift from the Baker Family Foundation, represents a significant portion of the $12-$17 million philanthropic target of the business plan. Hartford staff will work with CAPC to foster a consortium of funders to achieve the remaining fundraising goal. An earned revenue goal seeks to transform CAPC from sole dependence on philanthropic support to a largely self-sustaining, revenue-generating model with membership fees that provide a package of palliative care implementation technical assistance and clinical training. CAPC will also develop a low-cost, web-based training infrastructure and new products to improve the quality of hospital-based palliative care and expand palliative care to community-based clinics, nursing homes and home care. Through policy and advocacy work, CAPC will address the need for payment reform, inclusion of health outcome measures that matter to complex older adults (such as physical function and pain), and recognition of those who benefit from palliative care services.
The board also approved a $275,000 grant over three years to Grantmakers in Aging (GIA), a national membership organization of funders, to support outreach efforts that aim to increase GIA’s membership and expand the number of foundations investing in aging-related issues. Four foundations will match the Hartford Foundation’s annual operational support of $75,000, which will allow the organization to expand its core activities, which include educational webinars, producing issue briefs, creating a funders learning collaborative, and an annual meeting.. In addition, the grant includes a $50,000 commitment towards the first phase in developing an evidence-based communications strategy to counteract misconceptions and reframe the public discourse about older adults to encourage broader engagement and support for aging programs and policies.