The Connecticut Health Foundation has an open Request for Proposals. The application deadline for the "Diverse Advocacy and Consumer Engagement in Health Reform" RFP is 4/21/14. If you're a 501(c)(3) based in CT led by a person of color, we want to hear from you. Application is located here: http://www.cthealth.org/grants/open-rfps/

1. Diverse Advocacy and Consumer Engagement Request for Proposals
Informational Session
Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT
March 26, 2014

2. Overview
CT Health Presentation – 15 minutes
• Welcome and Acknowledgments
• Who is CT Health?
• What Health Equity Means for Connecticut
• What is systems change in health reform?
Overview of RFP Grant Opportunity – 15 minutes
• Rationale & Objectives
• RFP Applicant & Criteria
• Grant Award & Time Frame
• Technical Assistance
Participant Questions, Answers & Discussion – 30 minutes

3. Who is the Connecticut Health Foundation?
• The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is the state’s
largest independent health philanthropy.
• Since 1999, the foundation has supported innovative grant-making,
public policy research, technical assistance and convening to
achieve its mission – to improve the health of the people of
Connecticut.
• Over the past 14 years, CT Health has awarded grants totaling
$52,000,000 throughout the state.

5. How CT Health Expands Health Equity
Health
Equity
Grantmaking
Leadership
Development
Strategic
Communications
Public
Policy

6. “Changing Systems, Improving Lives”
The Fish Proverb
• You can give a person a fish…
(direct services)
• Or you can teach a person to
fish… (education and skill
building)
• Or you can make sure everybody has a fair shot
at catching good healthy fish to feed their family
(systems change)
– Who is able to fish and where?
– How many fish should one person be allowed to
catch?
– Are the fish safe to eat?
– Who oversees all of this?

7. People + Places x Rules = System
People who
make the rules
and set the
priorities and the
people who
influence them
Places literal
and symbolic
where:
-decisions are
made
-health care is
delivered
Rules that make the
system run:
-laws
-administrative policies
-professional
standards
-procedures
-regulations
-resource allocation
-enforcement
-accountability
-unwritten rules

8. “Changing Systems, Improving Lives”
Another Way to Look at It
Changing Individual Behavior Changing Systems
We can look at someone’s decisions
about their health and ask:
“How can we help this person create
changes within their own lives by
giving them knowledge, tools, or
motivation to make healthier
decisions?”
We can look at what surrounds
someone and ask:
“Are the people, places, and rules
outside of their lives making it easier or
harder to be healthy?”
CT Health’s approach to
expanding health equity for
people of color

9. Diverse Advocacy and Consumer Engagement
Request for Proposals

10. Why does CT Health want to support diverse
advocacy & consumer engagement in health
reform?
CT Health’s theory is that including the voices of consumers of color in
health reform will mean:
• The needs, values, and preferences of consumers affected by
health disparities are represented in opportunities to change the
health care system
• Leaders of color are effective messengers for health equity in
health reform
• Bridges between health care systems and consumers of color are
built or strengthened

11. RFP Applicant Criteria--Person of Color (PoC)
led nonprofit:
Nonprofit must meet at least 2 out of 3 criteria for being a PoC led
nonprofit:
• Led (e.g., executive director, CEO) by a person of color; and/or
• Governed by a board composed of a majority (51%+) of people of
color
• Serves populations/communities of color
CT Health defines a person of color as someone who identifies as
being from one or more of the following groups:
– African-American/Black
– Latino/Hispanic
– Asian/Asian-American
– Native American

12. Grant Award and Timeframe
• CT Health will award 4 to 6 grants
• Grants will range from $25,000 to $50,000
• Grant period will be from July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015

13. RFP Program Objectives
Applicants must select one or more of (3) three program objectives
that leverage opportunities to advance health equity in reforming
health care:
1. Supporting health insurance enrollment and navigation efforts in the
2014 enrollment period for coverage starting in 2015.
Examples:
- Systems developed to assist newly enrolled consumers to
access health care system and informing Access Health CT
and/or DSS about barriers and challenges and advocate for
solutions
- Sharing effective practices and strategies with Access Health
CT for enrolling people of color in health insurance

14. RFP Program Objectives (Cont’d)
2. Developing and utilizing methods and strategies to bring voices of
consumers of color to key health reform decision making tables and
organizations.
• Example:
– Gaining perspectives of newly insured individuals about their
experiences in navigating health care by systematically
communicating successes and challenges regarding
continuous coverage to Access Health CT, Department of
Social Services or other important systems.
– Advocating for health care access alternatives for remaining
uninsured (such as undocumented immigrants)

15. RFP Program Objectives (Cont’d)
3. Creating and maintaining opportunities for newly insured consumers
of color to provide feedback to continuously improve consumer
experience of health reform implementation.
• Example:
– Organizing campaign to publicize the State Innovation Model
(healthcare transformation) to engage consumers of color to
share their voices and experiences to build a better health care
system.

16. Places where important health reform decisions
being made
• Access Health CT (CT's health insurance marketplace)
• State Innovation Model (Planning process to transform the way
health care is delivered in CT)
• Access Health Analytics (CT's All Payer Claims Database)
• Department of Social Services (Administers Medicaid)
• Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) (a health care provider
system)
• Healthy CT (Nonprofit cooperative formed because of ACA)
• CT State Legislature
• Other key organizations and/or state agencies (DCF, DPH,
DMHAS, DOC)
• Other places?

18. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (TA) TO GRANTEES
• A funding requirement of successful grantees will be participation in
technical assistance sessions focused on health reform/the ACA,
consumer engagement, and advocacy.
• Includes up to three (3) grantee meetings.
• CT Health will also make TA responsive to the stated needs of
grantees.

19. RFP Application – Key Dates & Grant
Information
Activity Date
Bridgeport RFP Information Session March 18, 2014
Hartford RFP Information Session March 26, 2014
Application Deadline April 21, 2014
Notification of Successful Award June 21, 2014
Grant Award Period July 1, 2014-June 30, 2015

20. Additional Questions about Diverse Advocacy
and Consumer Engagement RFP?
Please contact:
Yolanda Caldera-Durant
Senior Program Officer
yolandacd@cthealth.org
860-724-1580 ext. 20