The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation has announced the first three grant awards from its New Horizons grant fund. The three projects receiving $10,000 awards to pilot new, innovative ideas are Fresh Central Greenhouse-to-Schoolhouse, Building the Capacity of Educators to Meet the Needs of Students with ADHD, and Health Survey Pilot for Green Light New Orleans Garden Program.
Fresh Central Greenhouse-to-Schoolhouse is an economically sustainable hydroponic-greenhouse-to-schoolhouse social business model to reduce obesity and the risk thereof by increasing access to, encouraging consumption of, and educating about fresh, healthy and local produce. Project Partners include Central Louisiana Economic Development Agency, Live Lively LaSalle Alliance, LaSalle Economic Development District, LaSalle Parish School Child Nutrition.
The second project, designed for Louisiana, provides ADHD-specific teaching methods for teachers to help students with ADHD in grades K-12 succeed through workshops, webinars, statewide training, and an online community with resources. Project Partners are Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (CHADD).
Over a period of 11 months, the survey project will utilize a Green Light New Orleans Louisiana Delta Service Corps member to develop, implement and evaluate surveys from Green Light's garden participants to measure the program's impact on health. Project Partner is Green Light New Orleans.
"We are thrilled to support these organizations and their endeavors to take a calculated risk in creating completely new approaches to solving persistent issues," said Michael Tipton, Blue Cross Foundation president.
The Foundation began offering New Horizons grants after Tipton conducted an extensive listening tour last fall with partners in the nonprofit, academic and business sectors. "We have local people with big ideas - but there's very little funding available out there for nonprofits to take the risk of piloting a new program," said Tipton. "That's why the Foundation is stepping into the space - to nurture these ideas into fruition."
More information about these projects, the New Horizons grant program and the Foundation is available at www.bcbslafoundation.org
The Foundation accepts proposals for various grant programs on a quarterly basis.