Foundation awards healthy grants to northern Idaho organizations

Since the beginning of 2023, the Lewis-Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation has awarded a total of $1.18 million grants to organizations dedicated to addressing disease prevention and the root causes affecting health and wellness.

In its latest round of funding, the foundation awarded $855,241 to 15 organizations in its service area in northern Idaho.

According to the foundation, the large impact grant accepts requests up to $100,000, with priority given to the applicants who “demonstrate a commitment to long-term vision” when it comes to health-related projects.

Applications are reviewed by the Board of Community Advisors, a volunteer board, which then gives its recommendations to the foundation’s trustee, Desiree Prohaska, executive vice president and chief wealth management officer of Idaho Trust Bank.

“The Board of Community Advisors is happy to recommend the distribution of over $1 million to the many deserving nonprofit recipients to help improve the health and wellness of our local community members,” said Joe Travis, chairman of the volunteer board. “We represent the thousands of people who helped build St. Joseph Hospital in Lewiston, from its founding in 1901 to the sale in 2017.”

Travis stated that the trust created by the Idaho Attorney General after the sale is what created the trust for the annual grant funding, “but if it hadn’t been for the many dedicated health care professionals that run the hospital as a nonprofit for over 100 years, this funding source would not exist.”

According to the Lewis-Clark Valley Healthcare Foundation, the most recent awardees are:

• Community Health Association of Spokane (dba, CHAS Health), $40,000, Lewiston, Clarkston, Moscow, SoCHAS Patient Assistance Program.
• Family Promise of Lewis Clark, $25,000, Lewiston, Family Promise of Lewis Clark Valley.
• Helping Hearts Child Advocacy Center, $30,000, Enterprise, Wallowa County Child Abuse Intervention and Youth Empowerment Project.
• Homes of Hope, $30,865, Lewiston, HALO Project and Operations.
• Idaho Foodbank Warehouse, Inc., $75,000, Lewiston, Mobile Pantry Program.
• Interlink, Inc., $71,600, Clarkston, Elder Health Home Visitor Program.
• LC Valley Youth Resource Center Inc., Lewiston, $85,000, Youth Resource Center Drop-In & Overnight Programs.
• Lewis-Clark District Council of St. Vincent de Paul, Clarkston, $65,000, Help Idaho Families Program.
• Nursing & Health Sciences – Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, $50,000, Clinical Resource Center (CRC)/Skills Lab Equipment Updates.
• Pullman Regional Hospital Foundation, Pullman, $75,000, Training Family Medicine Physicians to practice in and meet the clinical needs of populations in rural and underserved communities.
• Sojourners Alliance, Moscow, $50,000, Sojourners Alliance Emergency Solutions Housing Voucher Program.
• Vincent de Paul Society – Moscow Conference of St. Francis of Assisi, Moscow, $30,000, Emergency Housing, Medical Care, and Utilities Fund – Latah County.
• Suicide Prevention of the Inland Northwest, Lewiston, $80,000, SPIN General Operations/988 Marketing Campaign.
• Syringa Hospital Foundation, Inc., Grangeville, $97,776, Mother & Baby, Labor & Delivery Safety in Idaho.
• Winding Waters Medical Clinic, Enterprise, $50,000, Wallowa County Community Pharmacy.

A grant award ceremony will be held Dec. 14 to honor the 2023 recipients.