Independence Foundation

" Nurses can and do make a significant difference in the lives of people whom they are privileged to serve"

Vernice Ferguson, RN, MA, FAAN, FRCN

Since 1993, the Independence Foundation has provided funding to a number of nurse managed health care centers and programs that provide comprehensive primary health care and health promotion services to underserved populations. Consistent with its mission of supporting organizations that provide services to people who do not ordinarily have access to them, the Foundation has funded centers and programs that serve traditionally underserved populations. Access to quality health care has often been compromised or impeded by lack of health insurance, transportation problems, language, and/or providers' lack of sensitivity to clients' socioeconomic circumstances and cultural background. The primary purpose of these grants is to assist existing nurse managed health care programs with general operating expenses not covered by other funding streams.

Of particular interest to the Independence Foundation are nursing centers or other nurse managed service delivery programs associated with non profit organizations or collegiate schools of nursing that serve clients in the greater Philadelphia area and meet the following criteria:

Offer health promotion, disease prevention and primary care services;
Deliver accessible, quality health care to the underserved, including uninsured populations;
Facilitate access to secondary and tertiary health care providers, and to relevant human services agencies;
Partner with community organizations in planning, delivering, and evaluating services and programs;
Implement continuous quality improvement strategies;
Have an effective organizational infrastructure to manage services and fiscal operations;
Have developed a plan for long-term sustainability of services and programs; and
Track the delivery of programs and services to clients and communities.

As with other Independence Foundation funding initiatives, unsolicited proposals are not reviewed. Requests for Proposals are by invitation only and are issued in late August. Grant awards are announced in mid-December. Due to ongoing commitments to current grantees, only a small number of potentially new grantees can be invited to submit an application.

All organizations not previously funded by the Independence Foundation should follow the guidelines for submitting Letters of Inquiry outlined on the Grant Application Procedure page.

Independence Foundation
Offices at the Bellevue
200 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
Phone: (215)985-4009

URL: http://www.independencefoundation.org
Last Updated: 6/18/02