The Salina Regional Health Foundation’s Community Health Investment Program (CHIP) awarded 20 grants in 2024 totaling $518,108. Funding for CHIP primarily comes from Salina Regional Health Center, which tithes a percentage of its operating margin each year to the Salina Regional Health Foundation.
According to the organization, since the inception of CHIP in 1995, more than $16.79 million in grants have been awarded to local community organizations. Funding priorities for CHIP primarily focus on children’s health, childhood obesity, mental health, substance abuse, aging populations, heart disease and stroke. Applications for CHIP are accepted three times a year. Application deadlines for 2025 are January 10, April 18 and August 15. Applications for grant funding can be downloaded online at https://www.srhealthfoundation.com/community-outreach/.
Grants in 2024 included:
- $125,000 to Salina Baseball Enterprises to construct Pestinger Family Stadium – Salina’s second premier baseball facility – next to Dean Evans Stadium.
- $75,000 to Salina Area United Way to support the Early Childcare Initiative Fund, which helps supplement employee wages at local non-profit childcare centers.
- $50,000 to School Marathon Foundation to provide programming at area grade schools for students to complete a marathon (26.2 miles) during before-and-after school activities.
- $40,000 to Brookville Community Foundation to support the building of a new community playground and picnic area using ADA-compliant pathways, equipment and facilities.
- $28,000 to Salina Grace Foundation to support the Community Resource Center and Winter Shelter.
- $25,000 to the City of Salina to purchase a handheld lead paint analyzer.
- $25,000 to Prairieland Market to create a new facility to improve access to healthy food and provide nutritional education programs to build a healthier community.
- $21,900 to the Good Neighbor Fund, which supports grant requests of up to $1,000 that come to the hospital and foundation from the community.
- $20,008 to the Catholic Diocese of Salina to implement a pilot program at Junior/Senior High Schools offering 24/7 online access to counseling services.
- $20,000 to American Red Cross of Kansas to support area community blood drives.
- $20,000 to Blessed Hope Family to help growing demands for services aimed at supporting foster and adoptive families.
- $11,000 to Salina Education Foundation to support a variety of programs and initiatives for the 2024-25 academic year including Sudden Opportunity Grants, Nurse Emergency Funds, Heartland Weekend Meals and Social Worker Fund.
- $10,000 to First Tee of Salina to purchase equipment for a new program location in Minneapolis, Kan., to introduce youth to golf.
- $10,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salina to support its Community Based Mentoring program.
- $10,000 to the North Central Kansas-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging to support the 2024 Sunflower Senior Fair at Tony’s Pizza Event Center.
- $9,000 to New Heights Therapeutic Riding, Inc. to provide therapeutic horse riding scholarships to those with financial restrictions.
- $5,700 to Salina Family YMCA to purchase an InBody Health Tracking awareness device.
- $5,000 to Saline County Food Action Community Team to support a food assessment and programming communication costs.
- $5,000 to Rolling Hills Zoo for Dream Night – a free evening at the zoo for area children with terminal or chronic illness or disabilities and their families.
- $2,500 to Smoky Hill Education Foundation to support Educator Recharge Retreats.
