Blue Impact grants – formerly known as Healthy Kids, Healthy Families® – began in 2011 as a three-year initiative by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) designed to improve the health and wellness of at least 1 million children through community investments. We extended the initiative, as part of our ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of Texans and helped more than 4 million children and families across Texas.
The Blue Impact grant program invests in and partners with nonprofit organizations that offer sustainable, measurable programs. This year, we are aligning our community investments into five areas of focus to better support our umbrella mission of expanding access to care. BCBSTX recognizes the importance social and economic factors have on health and wellness, and the 2023 community support focus areas more directly target these social determinants of health (SDOH).
The areas of focus are:
Economic Opportunity and Stability: Addressing issues such as poverty, removing barriers to employment, providing good jobs, and upskilling.
Nutrition: Supporting efforts to decrease hunger and increase access to nutritional food.
Neighborhood and Built Environment: Focusing on affordable healthy housing, access to transportation, and access to physical activity.
Locally Defined Health Solutions: Addressing hyperlocal health and human service needs.
Optimal Health Outcomes: Helping close gaps in care, specifically around six priority areas: immunizations, diabetes care, cardiovascular care, behavioral health, early detection cancer screening, and maternal & infant health.
Learn more about the grant funding cycle
Nutrition
BCBSTX, in collaboration with Feeding America® works to create nutrition security through a focused, whole-person approach. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are more than 3.7 million food insecure people in Texas, and 1 in 8 households struggles to put food on the table.
Our partnership with Feeding America builds on BCBSTX’s longstanding efforts to help members and communities be at their best. We’ve supported local food banks and organizations for many years.
To reach our goal of decreasing hunger and increasing access to nutritional food, we are partnering with 16 food banks:
- Brazos Valley Food Bank
- Central Texas Food Bank
- Coastal Bend Food Bank
- Concho Valley Regional Food Bank of Texas, Inc.
- East Texas Food Bank
- El Pasoans Fighting Hunger
- Food Bank of The Rio Grande Valley, Inc.
- Food Bank of West Central Texas
- Galveston County Food Bank
- Houston Food Bank
- North Texas Food Bank
- San Antonio Food Bank
- Southeast Texas Food Bank
- Tarrant Area Food Bank
- West Texas Food Bank
- Wichita Falls Area Food Bank
Neighborhood and Built Environment
Physical Activity
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) and the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) are increasing access to fitness sites and reducing barriers to physical and mental health by collaborating to bring free, outdoor fitness courts to communities across Texas.
The Fitness Courts will be constructed in public areas where residents can easily access them. Municipalities, schools and other organizations in Texas can apply for grant funding through NFC to assist in constructing a Fitness Court®. NFC works with grant recipients to assist in planning, funding, and launching their Fitness Courts. To learn more about funding, visit https://nationalfitnesscampaign.com/texas.
This partnership builds on our longstanding commitment to address prominent health care issues to positively impact the well-being of all Texans and provide pathways to improved health outcomes.
