Institute for Health Equity

The Institute for Health Equity is a five-year, $15 million commitment from the Independence Blue Cross Foundation to advance health equity in our region and nation. The Institute was created to address long-standing policies and practices that impede health equity.

If you have any questions about our programs, please email us or call 1-855-422-3386.

Innovation, intervention, and investment

This program aims to promote systems-level change to prevent health disparities through multidisciplinary collaborative partnerships.

Initial focus areas of the Institute for Health Equity include:

Digital health

With digital health equity, everyone, regardless of social, economic, demographic, or geographic differences should have equal access to digital health resources.

Cultural competence

A culturally competent health care system can help improve health outcomes and quality of care and can contribute to the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities.

Maternal health

Improvements in maternal health care delivery can be achieved by addressing systemic barriers and advancing evidence-based models and public-private partnerships.

Research

The IBC Foundation will be a lead investor in collaborative, translatable research that results in changes to affects policies and practices to improve equitable access to care and resources for marginalized populations.

Reaching Communities

In this edition of the Journal of Change, we highlight the evolution of health centers nationwide, and the many factors that contribute to their successes and challenges. See how health centers are Reaching Communities everywhere and delivering care where it's needed most.

Learn More

Blue Safety Net eligibility requirements

Blue Safety Net grants are awarded to support the following:

  • General operations. These grants support operating expenses that are critical in the delivery of care.
  • Special projects. These grants support projects or programs that seek to expand access to health care within a defined population, improve chronic conditions, reduce specific health care disparities, and/or educate parents to encourage appropriate use of medical resources.

Guidelines

To be eligible for a Blue Safety Net grant, an organization must:

  • Be a nonprofit, privately-funded health clinic or health center (note: a clinic may receive federal funding as part of its revenues)
  • Provide free or nominal-fee primary medical, dental, or vision services to the uninsured and underserved
  • Be located in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia counties
  • Have a mission that aligns with that of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation
  • Meet the Independence Blue Cross Foundation's general eligibility guidelines

Evaluation criteria

An organization's grant request is evaluated based on the following:

  • Access to quality health care services
  • Increasing or expanding delivery of care
  • Improving the health and wellbeing of populations served
  • Reducing identified barriers to health care
  • Sustainable funding, innovative and collaborative partnerships
Reaching Communities

In this edition of the Journal of Change, we highlight the evolution of health centers nationwide, and the many factors that contribute to their successes and challenges. See how health centers are Reaching Communities everywhere and delivering care where it's needed most.

Learn More

Blue Safety Net application process

Applications must be submitted electronically. If you are a new applicant, you will be required to set up an account. Please follow the directions on the grant application site.

The Blue Safety Net application process opens June 11 and closes July 23. Apply now.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the application process, please contact ibxfoundation.org or 1-855-422-3386.

The Blue Safety Net application process opens June 11 and closes July 23.

Reaching Communities

In this edition of the Journal of Change, we highlight the evolution of health centers nationwide, and the many factors that contribute to their successes and challenges. See how health centers are Reaching Communities everywhere and delivering care where it's needed most.

Learn More

2021 Blue Safety Net grant recipients

  • Abington Jefferson Health — Children's Clinic
  • Albert Einstein Healthcare Network Community Practice Center
  • Ann Silverman Community Health Clinic
  • Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor
  • ChesPenn Health Services
  • Community Volunteers in Medicine, Inc.
  • Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc.
  • Covenant House Pennsylvania
  • Delaware Valley Community Health, Inc.
  • Esperanza Health Center, Inc.
  • Face to Face
  • Family Practice and Counseling Network
  • Greater Philadelphia Health Action — Dental Services
  • Gwynedd Mercy University — Adult Health Center
  • Harcum College — The Cohen Dental Center
  • HealthLink Dental Clinic, Inc.
  • Kids Smiles, Inc.
  • LCH Health and Community Services
  • Manor College - Dental Center
  • Mazzoni Center
  • Pathways to Housing PA
  • Penn Dental
  • Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Foundation
  • Philadelphia FIGHT
  • Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation, Inc.
  • Project HOME — Health Services
  • Public Health Management Corporation
  • Puentes de Salud
  • Salus University — The Eye Institute
  • South Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition
  • Spectrum Health Service, Inc.
  • St. Christopher's Foundation for Children
  • St. Mary Medical Center — Community Ministries
  • Stephen and Sandra Sheller 11th Street Family Health Services of Drexel University
  • The Clinic
  • Vision to Learn — The Eagles Eye Mobile
  • VNA Community Services, Inc.
  • Youth Service, Inc.