About Us

The Kansas Health Foundation is a private philanthropy dedicated to improving the health of all Kansans. Our funding comes from an endowment created by the sale of Wesley Medical Center, and our asset base remains strong thanks to a dedicated team of advisers and investment managers. We do not solicit or accept donations. Instead, we seek opportunities to invest our resources in people and projects that meet our mission and create long-term, sustainable health improvements.

Our mission

A mission to improve the health of all Kansans drives the Kansas Health Foundation’s work. The Foundation joins with the World Health Organization in defining health, believing that health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Our focus areas

To be effective, we must focus our work. The Kansas Health Foundation is committed to supporting strategies that will make Kansas a healthier place in the long run instead of funding temporary fixes for immediate health problems. Our five focus areas are:

• Promoting the healthy behaviors of Kansans
• Strengthening the public health system
• Growing community philanthropy
• Providing health data and information to policymakers
• Building civic leadership

Grant opportunities

• Recognition Grants. Does your school, church or nonprofit organization have an idea for a project that would improve the health and well-being of your community, but you need some money to make it happen? The Kansas Health Foundation’s Recognition Grant program could help turn your ideas into reality. Using a competitive application process, this program awards up to $25,000 per organization. Each year, we award $2 million for Recognition Grants throughout the state.
• Letters of Inquiry. We are always open to hearing from Kansas nonprofits doing innovative work that meets our mission, so the Foundation accepts one-page letters of inquiry from organizations that believe they have a project fitting this description.