Community Questions

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation remains equally committed to improving health outcomes for all Minnesotans. Structurally, the Foundation has always been a separate legal entity and will remain as such, while their collaboration and connection remain unchanged.

No. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota premium dollars are not used for community health projects. All funding  comes from Blue Cross’ historic settlement with the commercial tobacco industry. 

Visit our Available Funding page to see our current opportunities.

Want to be notified when new funding programs are announced? Send an email to Center.Communications@bluecrossmn.com to ask to be added to our notification list.

Eligible applicants for funding include nonprofit organizations, for-profit entities, government entities, tribal nations, and partnerships. Applicants must be based in Minnesota and must be formal legal entities; no contracts will be awarded to individuals or groups of individuals. 

For formed legal entities that wish to work together in partnership, but have not formed a legal entity specifically around the partnership itself, fiscal agents will be allowable. 

In addition to our formal RFP process, we occasionally consider lower-level sponsorships and directly fund a limited number of initiatives that strategically support our goals. 

Blue Cross will steadfastly maintain our commitments to commercial tobacco prevention and cessation, along with our healthy eating work. In addition to these focus areas, we will be responsive to changing community needs including behavioral health, maternal health and diabetes.

• Healthy Eating 
• Commercial Tobacco Prevention 
• Maternal Health 
• Diabetes 
• Behavioral Health 

Individual choices for health are important, and they are easier to make when people’s surroundings support them. For example, you may want to eat healthier, but if you live in community without a grocery store it will be harder to find fresh fruits and vegetables. By focusing on PSE changes and using evidence-based approaches, we help create neighborhoods, communities, and a state where the healthy choice is the easy choice for all. Focusing on PSE also helps change norms, so healthier behaviors become routine where Minnesotans live, work, learn, worship, and play.