Community Questions
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation remains equally committed to addressing racial and health inequities throughout Minnesota. Structurally, the Foundation has always been a separate legal entity and will remain as such, while our collaboration and connection remain unchanged.
No. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota premium dollars are not used for CRHE projects. All funding for the Center 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.
No. The CRHE will steadfastly maintain our commitments to commercial tobacco prevention and cessation, along with healthy eating work related to food justice and sovereignty. However, in addition to these focus areas, the CHRE will be responsive to changing community needs including rural behavioral health, maternal health and diabetes.
- Food Justice
- Commercial Tobacco Prevention
- Maternal Health
- Diabetes
- Rural 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 and play.