Health Happens Here Grants

Health Happens Here Grants is sponsored by Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. (Meridian). These grants provide funds for local organizations throughout Illinois to close care gaps and address the health-related social needs of Meridian members and the community.

Health Happens Here Grants ™ Thank you for your interest in the Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. (Meridian) Health Happens Here Grants . Grants are available to participating Meridian providers and community organizations focused on promoting the health and well-being of the communities we serve.

All applications are reviewed by the Health Happens Here Grants Committee and will be awarded on a quarterly basis, except for those grants associated with natural disaster assistance, which are awarded on a case-by-case basis. We are currently accepting applications for Q3 grants, through July 31, 2026 .

Health Happens Here Grants provide funds for local organizations throughout Illinois to close care gaps and address the health-related social needs of Meridian members and the community. These grants help members and their neighbors access high quality, culturally sensitive services. “At Meridian, we strongly believe in caring for our members where they live and work,” said Cristal Gary, Meridian Plan President and CEO.

“These grants are part of our mission to transform the health of the communities we serve. The funding we are providing to these community partners will support behavioral health and wellness programs, help for young mothers, professional and career development, mobile health units, and non-emergency transport services, all of which are critical to the health of these communities. ” Since 2022, Meridian has invested nearly $2.

8M in more than 80 community-based organizations and programs with our Health Happens Here Grants . Here are some previous recipients: Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago – $100,000 The grant will be used to assist in the purchase of furnishings for the expansion and remodel of the existing Behavioral Health department, safer restrooms, and other remodeling updates.

Annually, Lurie sees approximately 1,500 Behavioral Health patients in the Emergency Department (ED); with the ED expansion Lurie Children’s is creating additional beds on the inpatient psychiatric unit, increasing safety for the evaluation and care of behavioral health and psychiatry patients.

​ Chicago Integrated Health - $20,000 Chicago Integrated Health in Matteson, Illinois, is a lifestyle management practice that integrates nutrition, mental health therapies, massage therapies and fitness to combat anxiety, depression, and lifestyle diseases. Funding will support its “Project Thrive Program,” which is dedicated to promoting the health and wellbeing of pre-teens and teens, ages 11 to 19.

The grant will help cover program activities, resources and operational costs for one year, helping ensure participants have access to educational, social and wellness opportunities that foster personal growth and community connection.

Humbolt Park Health – $100,000 Meridian’s funding will support programs at Humbolt Park Health’s new Wellness Center in its first year, including the chronic disease management programs, mental health and wellness initiatives, nutrition and fitness programs, preventative health screenings, and community outreach and education.

From its start in 1894, Humboldt Park Health, formerly Norwegian American Hospital, has been deeply committed to serving the Humboldt Park community. As a 200-bed, acute care facility, it provides healthcare treatment that’s patient-centered and focused on quality of care, ranging from everyday care to treatment for their patients’ most critical needs. M.

E. A. N Girls Empowerment - $15,000 Serving the Chicagoland area, M.

E. A. N (Manage Emotions Avoid Negativity) Girls Empowerment will support its Girls Health Matters initiative, which is designed to empower young girls by addressing critical health topics and enhance their personal and professional development.

Funding will cover expenses related to its summit on April 5, 2025, including materials for interactive workshops, soft skill development sessions, and logistical support for a community resource van that conducts community pop-up events. The pop-up events provide mental health support and essential resources to participants in underserved communities, extending the impact of the summit.

Midwest Career Source - $23,950 Midwest Career Source in Belleville, Illinois, provides free healthcare apprenticeship job training to low-income individuals in partnership with Memorial Hospital Belleville - BJC HealthCare, St. Elizabeth Hospital - Hospital Sisters Health System, Gateway Regional Hospital and a host of nursing homes.

This program provides training opportunities for individuals who cannot afford education post high school, replenishing the healthcare talent pipeline. Funding will support job training tuition for 10 Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) students.

Partnering with young moms as they progress towards housing stability, economic mobility and family well-being, New Moms programs service over 350 young families annually, providing housing, job-readiness training and paid transitional jobs, home-based parent coaching and doula services, and mental health support for young families. The grant to New Moms will help support operational expenses. Posen-Robbins School District 143.

5 - $83,600 Funding will assist Posen-Robbins’ middle and intermediate schools to provide individual and group counseling services, including trauma-informed practices.

Their goal is to obtain psychoeducational and mental health services, including evidence-based group counseling (Tier II) and individual behavioral interventions (Tier III) to students, restorative justice practices to change the culture and climate of the school, and improve student behavior by coaching educators, conducting professional staff developments, and holding student peace circles at their schools.

Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinics - $100,000 Funding provided to Rosalind Franklin University Health Clinic will be used to expand the work of the Community Care Connection, a highly collaborative, free, mobile health program that is breaking down barriers of cost, cultural, transportation, insurance and language for underserved, uninsured and underinsured people in Lake County.

Services are provided on a 40-foot customer mobile unit that is equipped with two exam rooms. The grant will help fund professional health services offered, purchase medical supplies, provide vaccines and point-of-care testing, underwrite laboratory fees, and generally support the Community Care Connection. St.

Bernard Hospital - $25,000 The grant will assist St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood with the hiring of a part-time Medical Assistant for their Adult Mobile Health Unit (AMHU) team. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the AMHU slowed significantly due to the lockdown and the community’s fear regarding the pandemic.

Currently operating only on the weekend, the AMHU would be able to operate 3 days per week with medical staff providing healthcare screening services and education to community residents two days per week, with the third day reserved for the medical assistant to make follow-up calls and complete any necessary administrative tasks.

Seabreeze, Non-Emergency Medical Transpiration (NEMT) - $50,366 The grant will support hiring and training costs for eight new employees in Rockford, Illinois, at Seabreeze, Non-Emergency Medical Transport (NEMT), a certified women minority-owned business. These employees will be specialized drivers who assist with transporting patients in wheelchairs and stretchers.

Seabreeze, NEMT will increase their service capacity to transport an additional 800 members per month who require wheelchair or stretcher transport. Southern Community Table Food Pantry, Zion Temple Church of God in Christ - $6,000 Funds will help the Southern Community Table Food Pantry by Zion Temple Church of God in Christ to purchase a commercial freezer, commercial refrigerator and shelving.

This will allow them to serve cold and frozen items to the community along with the non-perishable items that are currently being distributed. Newly started in the Southern Illinois area, the organization hosted a successful first food distribution providing over 71 families in the community.

Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) & Esperanza Health Centers - $50,000 Funds will be used to help establish therapy services for school-age students. The program provides after-school therapy for up to 24 students in Back of the Yards schools through the 2024-25 school year.

The Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) was founded in 1939 by Joseph Meegan, Saul Alinsky, supporting clergy, business owners, union officials, and residents to organize residents and bring social services and economic resources to the community. Esperanza Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center serving over 50,000 patients annually through its network of primary care clinics on Chicago's Southwest Side.

Since 2004, Esperanza has been delivering compassionate, culturally appropriate care to the medically underserved, primarily Latino communities, regardless of immigration or insurance status.