Supporting public policies aimed at improving the health of Kansans, and supporting or developing efforts of nonprofit organizations to advocate for such policies on behalf of the populations they serve.

Communities Creating Opportunity, statewide - $175,000.00
Kansas City - This two-year grant will support networking local faith leaders across the state of Kansas and further their advocacy efforts for issues and policies that impact health and health equity.

Community Catalyst, statewide - $10,000.00
A grant to provide technical expertise to the development of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas project, a new grassroots coalition that will focus on expanding Medicaid (KanCare). The Alliance is a collaboration among state and local stakeholders.

Kansas Advocates for Better Care, Inc., Douglas - $2,149.00
Lawrence - Funding to support a guide outlining consumers' rights, with step-by-step instructions for appealing changes in Medicaid services. The guide will be available online, and several thousand printed copies will be distributed via providers, advocates, and other organizations statewide.

Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, Shawnee - $64,000.00
Topeka - This two-year grant is to support the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, a newly formed multi-sector coalition coming together to educate the public, policymakers, and key stakeholders in communities statewide about health policy. The Alliance's first policy focus will be closing the coverage gap for 150,000 Kansans by expanding KanCare. This grant is part of a larger funding collaborative of the Kansas Grantmakers in Health.

KC Healthy Kids, Wyandotte - $10,000.00
Kansas City - Funding to support a survey of all state legislative candidates (Fall 2016) on the issue of the food sales tax.

Kansas Health Institute, Shawnee - $20,000.00
Topeka - Funding to conduct research and analysis on barriers to the implementation of integrated primary and behavioral health care models in Kansas. The project also will identify key questions for stakeholders and policymakers to consider as next steps.
 

Built Environment

Promoting and supporting efforts to improve the physical parts of where we live, work, and play, to make the healthy choice the easier choice.

City of Atchison, Atchison - $55,000.00
Atchison - Working with Live Well Live Atchison, the City of Atchison will build a 1.55-mile long, 10-foot wide, asphalt, shared-use trail. The trail will be anchored by the county hospital and historic downtown, linking commercial and residential properties along the way.

City of Augusta, Butler - $48,000.00
Augusta - The City of Augusta will build a .64-mile long, 8-foot wide, concrete trail throughout the city's most popular park. The trail will serve as a looped, scenic path to many park destinations, as well as a connector to nearby neighborhoods and commercial districts.

City of Clearwater, Sedgwick - $40,000.00
Clearwater - Working with the Clearwater Recreation Commission, the City of Clearwater will build a .65-mile long, 6-foot wide concrete trail through the town's sports complex. The trail will connect with sidewalks on each end, increasing walkability across town.

City of Iola, Allen - $30,000.00
Iola - Working with Thrive Allen County, the City of Iola will oversee construction and installation of a 150-foot long pedestrian truss bridge over Elm Creek. The bridge will connect the vast majority of Iola's residential and commercial development to a growing recreational area, which includes the Lehigh Portland Trails. The bridge will also enable about 700 employees of an industrial park on the south side of Elm Creek to walk or bike to work.

City of Lawrence, Douglas - $120,000.00
Lawrence - The City of Lawrence will build a .7-mile long 10-foot wide concrete trail north of Rock Chalk Park, connecting the west leg of the Lawrence Loop Trail to the Baldwin Creek section of the loop. Currently, 13.5 miles of the loop are complete; once finished, the 22.4-mile trail will encircle the entire city. A small portion of the grant is earmarked for organizing promotional efforts by the project partners, which include LiveWell Lawrence, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Lawrence Parks & Recreation, and the Lawrence Pedestrian Bicycle Task Force.

City of Maize, Sedgwick - $55,000.00
Maize - City of Maize will construct a 2,855-foot (.54-mile) long, 8-foot wide concrete shared-user path adjacent to 45th Street. The railroad company will provide safety infrastructure where the trail crosses the tracks.

City of Manhattan, Riley - $46,625.00
Manhattan - The City of Manhattan will build a .6-mile long crushed limestone trail, ranging in width from 6 to 10 feet, connecting a residential area to the city's existing trail network. This recreation trail will also serve as an active commuting link for about 4,000 nearby residents to commercial districts and services.

City of Nickerson, Reno - $39,978.00
Nickerson - The City of Nickerson will build a .67-mile long, 6-foot wide concrete trail around the city's only park. This will be the second publicly accessible trail in town, in addition to the Sunflower Trail at Nickerson Elementary School. The trail will also connect to a sidewalk, which leads downtown and then connects to the elementary school trail.

City of Paola, Miami - $9,022.00
Paola - The City of Paola will build a 1.4-mile, 8-foot wide crushed limestone connector trail, completing a 7.5-mile long trail system around Lake Miola, a popular recreation site for the town and visitors. Among the project's supporters is the Paola Pathways task force, representing diverse stakeholders and a strong volunteer coalition.

City of Pittsburg, Crawford - $9,114.00
Pittsburg - Working with Livewell Crawford County, the City of Pittsburg is building a 308-foot long, 6-foot wide connector trail that will allow passage through a railway crossing. The connector links the popular Pittsco Trail to other trails and sidewalk systems.

City of Salina, Saline - $16,000.00
Salina – The city’s Parks Department will construct a 10-foot wide, 800-foot long concrete trail that links an existing trail and a school trail, and incorporates an environmental education component.

City of St. Francis, Cheyenne - $41,613.00
St. Francis - The City of St. Francis will build a .63-mile long, 6-foot wide caliche trail around a popular local pond and wildlife area, increasing access to the pond, particularly for residents with limited mobility. This trail is intended to be the first phase of a four-phase master trail plan, eventually linking the pond to the downtown area.

Growing The Vision Inc, Greeley - $48,675.00
Tribune - Growing The Vision Inc., a Greeley County Community Development foundation, will build a 1.02-mile long, 6-foot wide concrete and asphalt trail, encircling the county's largest park and connecting its recreational amenities. It will be the first publicly accessible trail in the county.

Johnson County Museum Foundation, Johnson - $10,000.00
Shawnee - Johnson County Museum Foundation will work with Hall Center for the Humanities Fellow Henry Fortunato and other community partners to research, develop, create, install, and promote a comprehensive system of interpretative signage and complementary online content for a 10-mile stretch of Indian Creek Trails in Overland Park.

Russell PRIDE, Inc., Russell - $47,400.00
The nonprofit community improvement organization, Russell PRIDE, will build a .9-mile long, 6-foot wide concrete trail as part of a larger trail system surrounding the city's Memorial Park.

Shawnee County Board of Commissioners, Shawnee - $120,000.00
Topeka - Shawnee County Parks and Recreation will construct a half-mile long, 10-foot wide, ADA-accessible shared-use path on the west side of Gage Park, linking to segments being built on the north and south sides. When complete, the two-mile trail will encircle Topeka’s most popular park. A small portion of the grant has been earmarked for organizing promotional efforts by project partners.

USD #457 - Garden City Public Schools, Finney - $18,020.00
Garden City - The Garden City School District will build a .25-mile long, 6-foot wide asphalt trail on Victor Ornelas Elementary School property. The trail will provide a comfortable training area for the school's running club and will also be accessible to the nearby middle school and residential areas.
 

Capacity Building

Developing core organizational skills and capabilities in order to increase effectiveness, impact, and sustainability.

E C Tyree Health & Dental Clinic, Sedgwick - $180,800.00
Wichita - This two-year grant will support new medical and administrative staff needed to build capacity, increase number of patients served, and ensure financial stability.

NAMI Kansas, Inc., Shawnee - $10,000.00
Topeka - Funding to build the capacity of 16 affiliates and for development of at least two online orientation modules to be shared on the NAMI Kansas website.
 

Integrated Care Initiative

Supporting primary care and behavioral health safety net systems that endeavor to move toward integrated service delivery models, including education, peer collaboration, technical assistance, planning efforts, implementation, sustaining transitions, and efforts aimed at payment reform.

Citizens Foundation, Thomas - $6,273.00
Colby - Funding for leadership of Family Center for Health Care and Norton Medical Clinic to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Crawford - $200,000.00
Pittsburg - This two-year grant supports expansion of integrated services capacity in the grantee's satellite clinics throughout southeast Kansas, serving Bourbon, Crawford, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson counties.

Health Partnership Clinic, Johnson - $75,000.00
Olathe - One-year grant supporting continued development of an integrated approach to care, including for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Healthcore Clinic, Inc., Sedgwick - $200,000.00
Wichita - This two-year grant supports expansion of integrated services with the grantee's partner, Wichita Children's Home and Breakthrough Club.

Heart of Kansas Family Health Care, Inc., Barton - $8,364.00
Great Bend - Funding for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Heartland Medical Clinic, Douglas - $75,000.00
Lawrence - One-year grant supporting continued development of an integrated approach to care, specifically the Behavioral Health Consultant position and related benefits to provide integrated care.

High Plains Mental Health Center, Ellis - $20,000.00
Hays - Funding for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery, and for formulating its own integration plan.

Hunter Health Clinic, Sedgwick - $8,605.00
Wichita - Funding for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Johnson County Health Department, Johnson - $8,364.00
Olathe - Funding for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Kansas University Endowment Association, Wyandotte - $8,364.00
Kansas City - Funding for leadership of Silver City Health Center to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Mental Health Center Of East Central Kansas, Lyon - $8,364.00
Emporia - Funding for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Russell Regional Hospital Physicians Clinic, Russell - $8,364.00
Russell - Funding for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

Salina Health Education Foundation, Saline - $150,000.00
Salina - Two-year grant supporting continued development of an integrated approach to care at Salina Family Healthcare Center, including staffing, technology, education, and training.

Turner House Clinic for Children, Wyandotte - $8,364.00
Kansas City - Funding for leadership to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.

University of Kansas Hospital, Wyandotte - $6,273.00
Westwood – Funding for leadership from KU Hospital and its partner, Cornerstones of Care, to attend the Cherokee Systems Training on integrating primary and mental health care delivery.
 

Healthy Eating

Supporting efforts to increase access to healthy food and nutrition education in underserved communities.

Douglas County, KS, Douglas - $75,000.00
Lawrence - This three-year grant helps support a project aimed at leveraging federal funding through the USDA Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive. A regional partnership is working to support an expansion of Double Up Food Bucks, a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) matching initiative that allows SNAP recipients to purchase more fresh produce. Funding from the Sunflower Foundation supports a rural grocery pilot project that will implement Double Up Food Bucks in two to five rural grocery stores.

Special Initiatives/Projects

Supporting research, education, public engagement, communications, and other efforts aimed at advancing Sunflower Foundation’s mission.

American Heart Association - Midwest Affiliate, statewide- $10,000.00
Topeka - Support for the 4th Annual Kansas Tribal Health Summit (2016), a two-day event which is attended by representatives from all four Kansas tribes and other tribal health stakeholders.

Kansas Association of Community Action Programs, Shawnee - $6,500.00
Topeka - Funding to support the "2016 Kansas Conference on Poverty: Creating Opportunities Together," sponsored by Kansas Association of Community Action Programs. The conference brings together about 250 direct service providers, agency and department managers, agency board members, volunteers and anti-poverty advocates from non-profit organizations, faith-based agencies, and governments across the state.

Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, Shawnee - $11,000.00
Topeka - Funding for development and one-year hosting of the Cover Kansas website, a resource for information about obtaining health insurance coverage in Kansas.

Kansas Health Institute, Shawnee - $45,813.00
Topeka - Funding for a statewide analysis on factors contributing to recent increases in mortality rates among select populations. Findings will highlight the relationship between rising death rates and the increase in opioid use.

Kansas Humanities Council, Shawnee - $8,000.00
Topeka - Two-year grant to support the Water/Ways initiative, which aims to engage Kansans in critical conversations about water, anchored by a six-community tour of a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. The project will initiate discussions about the intersection between human experiences and the environment and between culture and conservation through educational activities and special speaker opportunities.

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Jackson - $9,925.00
Mayetta - Funding to support the 3rd Annual Tribal Health Summit and Public Health Training Day (2015), a two-day event which is attended by representatives from all four Kansas tribes and other tribal health stakeholders.
 

Sunflower-Directed Initiatives

Resources supporting major, self-initiated and directed projects aimed at improving access to health care, effective leadership and advocacy on behalf of Kansans, and other efforts to advance the foundation’s mission that are supplemental to its grantmaking.

Advocacy Fellowship, Class of 2016
The Advocacy Fellowship is part of the foundation’s non-partisan advocacy initiative, which is designed to provide education and training opportunities for Kansas leaders whose work can help shape public policy and ultimately improve the health of Kansans. The program includes six sessions over the course of a year, including a visit to Washington, D.C., all with the goal of equipping leaders with advocacy skills that can help bridge political divides in order to achieve common goals. Topics include developing advocacy strategies, building coalitions and grassroots efforts, navigating the political process, engaging with civility, and working with the media. The 15 Fellows in the 2016 class were recruited from seasoned and emerging leaders in a variety of sectors, including health, business, social service, faith, local government, and education.  A total of 89 leaders have graduated from the Fellowship’s first six classes.

The 2016 Sunflower Advocacy Fellows (from left to right) are:

• Maureen Mahoney — Chief of Staff for Mayor Mark Holland, Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas City 
• Kaye Monk-Morgan — Program Director, Upward Bound Math Science Center at Wichita State University, Wichita
• Sheldon Weisgrau — Director, Health Reform Resource Project, Topeka
• Eva Schulte — President and CEO, Communities Creating Opportunity, Kansas City
• Tracey Osborne — President, Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, Overland Park
• David Toland — Executive Director, Thrive Allen County, Iola
• Liz Sosa — CEO, Public Square Communities, Inc., Garden City
• Tim Cruz — Safety consultant in the Division of Industrial Safety and Health for the Kansas Department of Labor, Garden City
• Benet Magnuson — Executive Director, Kansas Appleseed, Lawrence
• Vernetta Dixon — Director of Outreach, HealthCore Clinic, Wichita
• Jason Ball — President and CEO, Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce, Hutchinson
• Denise Cyzman — Executive Director, Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, Topeka
• Jason Wesco — Executive Vice President, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Pittsburg
• Annie McKay — President & CEO, Kansas Action for Children, Topeka
• Chris Tilden — Director of Community Health, Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Lawrence

Alliance for a Healthy Kansas
This year, Sunflower Foundation initiated and helped coordinate the launch of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas. This statewide coalition is dedicated to engaging communities to become involved in promoting policies aimed at health equity, assuring everyone has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Members of the Alliance include grassroots citizens, community leaders, and organizations across the state — among them are business leaders, doctors and hospitals, social service and safety net organizations, faith communities, chambers of commerce, advocates for health care consumers, and many more. Alliance members believe that by unifying our voices we all become stronger advocates for our common goals. The Alliance’s first policy goal is the expansion of KanCare health coverage for low-income Kansans. Among other things, Sunflower funded the development and launch of the Alliance website, social media and organizing technology, as well as interim staffing while the Alliance was established as a joint initiative of the Kansas Grantmakers in Health.

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→ Find information about previous years' grants at SunflowerFoundation.org/granfinder.