Community Health Innovation Grant Challenge is a grant program from CareSource Nevada that funds community-led solutions addressing community health and social needs across Nevada. The challenge awards six grants of $25,000 each (totaling $150,000) to nonprofit organizations expanding programs or launching new initiatives in maternal and child health, immunization awareness, and immunization confidence.

Two organizations will be selected per focus area. CareSource is investing an additional $150,000 in UNLV School of Public Health faculty research across the three areas for evaluation and long-term impact. Priority is given to applicants who are members of the Nevada Community Health Coalition.

Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations operating in Nevada.

CareSource Community Health Innovation Grant Challenge | School of Public Health | UNLV Public Health Internships Major IT service outages April 7-10 Colleges, Schools, and Departments Research Centers and Institutes CareSource Community Health Innovation Grant Challenge Investing in Data-Driven, Community-Led Solutions for Community Health and Social Needs Across Nevada.

The CareSource Community Health Innovation Grant Challenge will support as many as six eligible community organizations by awarding them with grants up to $25,000 to expand programs or launch new initiatives in the following key areas: Maternal and child health Immunization awareness and confidence Two organizations will be selected for each area.

Awardees will be assigned a faculty research expert from the UNLV School of Public Health who will oversee the entire grant process, including application review, technical support to applicants, stewardship of funds, and measurable outcome tracking and reporting. Priority will be given to applicants who are members of the Nevada Community Health Coalition.

The challenge will also invest a total of $150,000 for the research led by UNLV faculty across the three areas. By investing a total of $300,000 towards this challenge, CareSource aims to strengthen Nevada’s broader public health and nonprofit ecosystem to make a meaningful impact on community health and social needs across the state.

Breakdown of the Challenge Funds $150,000 will be awarded through six $25,000 grants to selected nonprofit organizations. $150,000 will be invested in research led by UNLV School of Public Health faculty equally across the three key areas to support evaluation, learning, and long-term impact.

The challenge priorities are directly informed by the 2025 Southern Nevada Community Health Assessment (SNCHA) , which identified urgent and persistent disparities affecting Nevada communities: Maternal and child health: Nevada experiences higher-than-average rates of preterm birth, infant mortality, low birth weight, and congenital syphilis, with pronounced racial and ethnic disparities.

Immunization awareness and confidence: Mistrust, misinformation, and lack of culturally relevant outreach continue to limit vaccine uptake, particularly in underserved and rural communities. Social drivers of health: Housing instability, food insecurity, transportation barriers, and economic insecurity remain key drivers of poor health outcomes across the state. This is not a traditional top-down grant program.

We recognize that community organizations are partners in shaping solutions, not just implementing them.

By pairing UNLV’s faculty expertise with trusted community organizations, we can strengthen the evaluation of community health programs/projects and help ensure they are practical, sustainable, grounded in research, informed by lived experience, and able to grow beyond the grant period CareSource's role in this challenge brings a mission-driven managed care perspective to the community that is grounded in compassion, innovation, and accountability.

As a visible and trusted leader in advancing health quality statewide, CareSource maintains a long-term commitment to improving outcomes for Medicaid-eligible and underserved populations across Nevada through coverage and investment in community-led solutions.

Eligible applicants include Nevada-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and faculty researchers or research teams with programs that align with our key funding areas: maternal and child health, social drivers of health, and vaccine confidence. Submissions are welcome and encouraged by 501(c)3 organizations and research teams throughout the state of Nevada.

The UNLV School of Public Health is accepting applications through February 26, 2026. Applications can be submitted through the competition application form. If you submit an incomplete application, please contact Erika Christensen at the UNLV School of Public Health, Erika.

Christensen@unlv. edu . Timeline and Awardee Selection Once the nomination period closes, the review and selection committee will make final determinations by the end of March.

Two organizations will be selected for each area of focus. An award reception to announce and celebrate the recipients will follow. The grant period will be 12-months, anticipated to begin in April 2026 and conclude in April 2027.

The timeline includes up to one month on the front end for pre-implementation activities and one additional month at the conclusion for reporting and closeout. For questions about the Challenge please contact Erika Christensen at erika. christensen@unlv.

edu. Maternal and Child Health: Gabriela Buccinni Gabriela Buccinni is an assistant professor of social and behavioral health at the UNLV School of Public Health. Her work focuses on maternal and child nutrition, breastfeeding and infant feeding, food insecurity, and early childhood development.

She brings experience evaluating and scaling evidence-based interventions in both U.S. and global settings, with a strong emphasis on improving outcomes for children and families through practical, research-informed approaches.

Social Drivers of Health: Tim Grigsby Tim Grigsby is an assistant professor of social and behavioral health whose research centers on the health effects of childhood trauma, substance misuse prevention, and health disparities in Hispanic and Latinx communities. His work examines how adverse childhood experiences, perceived discrimination, and family and community trauma influence substance use, violence, and related health outcomes.

He also focuses on translating research into practical tools and methods that support prevention, equity, and community-informed public health practice. Immunization Awareness and Confidence: Brian Labus Brian Labus is an associate professor of epidemiology and an infectious disease epidemiologist with more than two decades of experience in outbreak investigation, disease surveillance, and public health response.

He played a central role in Nevada’s COVID-19 response and is widely recognized for his ability to communicate complex public health information clearly and effectively. His work focuses on strengthening public trust, improving vaccine education, and supporting community-based strategies to reduce misinformation and barriers to care.