Humana Foundation Edition Q1

A Word From Our CEO, Tiffany Benjamin

In February, the Humana Foundation announced a new strategy to eliminate barriers to equitable health and healthcare. Our vison grew out of a yearlong exercise of examining how we can be strategic in the work we do via grantmaking and how we can make measurable, impactful investments in the places where we have the credibility and integrity to be change agents.

The Foundation will invest in community-centered partnerships and evidence-based programs that support seniors, veterans and schoolaged children in living connected, healthy lives.

Our efforts will focus on creating healthy emotional connections as part of a vital approach to care, and shaping a healthier approach to nutrition in order to support lifelong health and wellbeing.

The Foundation recently invested $5.5 million in regional mental health services in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana and

Texas and announced new grants totaling over $8 million toward regional nutrition programs, including three-year grants to:

University of Louisville School of Medicine, for dietary interventions to improve the heart health of older, African American adults
Dare to Care, to close gaps in access to nutritious food for seniors in Louisville
FoodCorps, to support the expansion of the organization’s nutrition education and free school meals program

The Foundation jumpstarted its mission with the announcement of a $7.5 million Health Equity Innovation Fund, a fund that enables organizations to test and scale solutions addressing preventable, chronic diseases in populations facing inequities.

Additionally, to co-create more inclusive solutions, the Foundation announced its intention to form the “Humana Foundation Senior Council” that will serve as a perpetual focusgroup and advisory board.

The Humana Foundation has evolved over time – moving from focusing on general quality-of-life philanthropy in target communities to now work that focuses on specific, targeted issues where the voice of the people we serve can help drive programmatic systems and outcomes. Over the past year, we’ve considered the

Foundation’s 40-year history and how its efforts overlap with Humana Inc. and its work in healthcare and health equity.

Ultimately, we found that the Humana Foundation can leverage its research, community partners and programming to test and evaluate community wide solutions for those issues relating to the social drivers of health.

Collectively, we can take those learnings and better understand how systems work and the best opportunities for helping people achieve their best health.

--Tiffany Benjamin

CEO, Humana Foundation

Humana Foundation: A New Strategic Approach

LOUISVILLE, KY – The Humana Foundation, philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for the past 41 years, announced a new strategy to advance health equity by eliminating unjust and unnecessary barriers in health and healthcare. The Foundation will invest in community-centered partners and evidence-based programs that support seniors, veterans and school-aged children in living connected, healthy lives.

This includes three-year grants to:

University of Louisville School of Medicine
Dare to Care
FoodCorps
Sustainable Food Center

The Humana Foundation is also currently accepting applications for its Connected Healthy Lives grants. Applications may be submitted through the Humana Foundation's online grant portal, SmartSimple.

2023 Application Periods:

Feb. 13 - April 21
May 29 - Aug 4

Partner Highlight: Russell, A Place of Promise

THE NEWS – The Russell Storytelling Project, an intergenerational initiative to build healthy emotional connections between elders, neighbors and local artists, brought together a community of more than 100 people for a storytelling exhibit of the Russell neighborhood.

WHY IT MATTERS – This project helped families and diverse neighbors connect to each other through their shared experiences in the Russell neighborhood and opened the door for future activities with local residents.

THIS MEANS –

Russell, A Place of Promise (RPOP) reduced social isolation and loneliness, created opportunities for greater social interaction and civic engagement and improved feelings of connectedness for seniors and individuals with disabilities.

WHAT’S NEXT – Residents developed a tighter-knit community, a deeper sense of pride and appreciation of the rich culture of the neighborhood and motivation to work collectively to make it a better place to live. As one member of the Russell neighborhood said – “This project helped me grow closer to my community and artist that were involved. I was able to visually see how we all were different but had the same similarities of going through phases and hardships we encounter in life.”

ASSOCIATE SPOTLIGHT

Amanda Chase

Tenure at Humana: 22 years

Current Position: Director, Process Improvement

Location: Florida

Amanda’s Initiative:

Amanda volunteers with The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, a congressionally chartered, Navy-sponsored organization that serves to teach youth about the sea-going military services, naval operations and training, community service, citizenship, discipline, and teamwork.

Humana Foundation launches "Senior Council"

The Humana Foundation is actively recruiting members for the new Humana Foundation Senior Council, which will serve as a focus group and advisory board for the Foundation’s efforts to support seniors, veterans and youth in living connected, healthy lives.

This voluntary group of eight to 10 established and emerging community leaders – both seniors 65+ and seniors in high school – will have input in creating unique experiences that bring to life the Foundation’s health equity mission.

What’s the Commitment?