mini-grants Archives

Wholespire awards mini-grants to drive health equity and sustainable impact

Dec 9, 2024 | Mini-Grant Success News, News

Data inforgraphic featuring statistics about the 2024 HEAL mini-grant

Wholespire is excited to announce the awarding of 15 HEAL Mini-Grants to community partners dedicated to driving meaningful policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change. These mini-grants, totaling more than $80,000, are designed to empower communities in advancing health equity, reducing health disparities, and fostering sustainable improvements in community well-being.

The grant recipients span rural and urban communities, and communities below the federal poverty line, each bringing unique strengths and innovative approaches to promote lasting change. Through these funds, communities will implement projects such as enhancing local food systems, improving the school environment, increasing access to physical activity and outdoor time, and many other areas related to community health improvement.

“We are proud to support these initiatives and the leaders driving them. Their work is essential in building healthier environments for all and in creating systems that support long-term health and wellness,” said Kelsey Sanders, MPH, MCHES, Community Relations Manager. “We look forward to the positive impact these projects will bring and to supporting our community partners every step of the way.”

2024-25 HEAL Mini-Grant Recipients

Lowcountry

Hunters Helping Hands https://hhhlc.org/
Located in Dorchester County, Hunters Helping Hands is a non-profit organization that provides free processed venison protein primarily to low-income families. They primarily focus on Hispanic families in North Charleston through a partnership with Community Impact Ministry. Wholespire support will cover the costs of a commercial-grade freezer to centralize and improve storage and distribution and processing fees for 600 pounds of venison. Read more about this innovative project.

Aspire2Inspire Initiative, Inc
A non-profit organization of concerned citizens in Colleton County, Aspire2Inspire focuses on bringing quality life, pride and ownership back to Ruffin, South Carolina by renovating the old high school and baseball field. Since 2012, the community’s center of activity has fallen into ruins. With support from Wholespire, the organization will transform the baseball field into a multipurpose sports complex, providing the community with a central hub for recreational activities, community events and sports leagues. Mini-grant funding will be used to repair the playing surface of the field, give the dugout and concessions stand a face lift and purchase various sports equipment and security measures.

Midlands

Barnwell County Government
Barnwell County Government, along with its recreation department and the City of Barnwell, are teaming up to provide individuals and families of all skill levels a kayak rental system at Lake Edgar Brown. This project is part of an ongoing effort of community leaders to address health disparities and increase community engagement. The SC Department of Natural Resources is providing assistance with ensuring the rental system aligns with environmental conservation standards. Mini-grant funds, in addition to contributions from the City of Barnwell, Southern Palmetto Foundation, and other sources, are covering the cost of kayaks, safety equipment and storage facilities.

City of West Columbia
Building on community feedback regarding the previous installation of six bike racks, the City of West Columbia seeks to increase cycling as a healthy and sustainable mode of transportation and expand bicycle parking availability by installing additional bike racks at ten strategic locations identified by community members. The city partnered with the Active & Accessible Community Transit Coalition on resident surveys and walk audits to help choose the ten locations with the highest demand for new bike racks. Wholespire support will assist the city with their strong focus on creating a safe and accessible network for pedestrians and cyclists by purchasing bike racks.

Pathways Community Center
Over the years, the 50-yard walkway between Pathways Community Center and Manna House Pantry in Rock Hill has become a safety hazard, especially for older adults and those with limited mobility. Uneven surfaces and poor lighting, for example, have led to personal injuries, difficulties accessing services and concerns of the community center clients, who are mostly low-income individuals and families. The community center aims to enhance safety and accessibility, by preventing injuries and promoting a safe environment for daily activities and exercise. Mini-grant funds will cover the cost of a contractor and materials required to make the walkway safe.

Upper Midlands Rural Health Network
Since 2020, the Winnsboro Community Garden at Prisma Health Family Medicine-Winnsboro in Fairfield County has maintained a community garden for their patients and community members to increase access to fresh produce. While the garden has been a free and sustainable resource, community engagement with and awareness of the garden continues to be low for many people. To resolve this issue, organizers want to install quality signs and interactive message boards to collect feedback and increase awareness and use of SNAP, FoodShare, the local food bank and other valuable community resources. In addition to signs and bulletin boards, Wholespire support will assist with purchasing gardening tools, shade structure and seating.

Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board Inc.
The Knights Hill historic neighborhood in Kershaw County continues to work on the natural walking trail at the neighborhood park. Since the trail opened last year, residents have identified safety concerns related to the commercial-grade, uneven mulch surface. Monthly maintenance has turned into a challenge with the bush, vines and wild grasses impeding the ability of seniors to use the trail. The Knights Hill Historic Preservation Board wants to create a permanent, smooth surface to improve safety and reduce the amount of time required for maintenance. With Wholespire support, the walking trail at Knights Hill Park will get a face lift and seniors will have a better experience.

NoMa STEAM
NoMa STEAM is a non-profit organization in Columbia whose mission is to increase opportunities in STEAM for underserved children and families in the North Main Street area. Wholespire is supporting their community garden project to increase access to fresh produce for families who live in the low-income food desert and to give youth a STEAM learning experience related to composting, planting and harvesting techniques, and other gardening and distribution processes. NoMa STEAM partners with locals farms, Girls Scouts troops, youth and adult volunteers, and family members of participating youth to build and sustain the garden. Funds will be used to purchase building supplies for additional raised garden beds and gardening tools and supplies.

Pee Dee

The Manna House
The Manna House of Florence changed their food pantry model to client choice earlier this year, giving clients fresh produce choices and a grocery store shopping experience. This new model has given their clients more dignity, self-esteem, and the opportunity to prepare food their families will enjoy. To sustain the client choice model, the organization identified a need for a commercial-grade refrigerator and additional shelving. Wholespire support will fund the needed items and help The Manna House continue making a positive impact on their community

The Village Group
The Plantersville community is among the most economically and educationally disadvantaged areas in Georgetown County. The Village Group strives to build a sustainable community through a holistic approach focusing on youth and family support through college and career readiness programs, cultural education and economic development. With support from Wholespire, The Village Group will be able to install bike racks at the Plantersville Cultural Complex and expand existing trails to accommodate bicycles.

PAL: Play. Advocate. Live Well.
Part of a sustainable and equitable food system in Spartanburg County, the PAL Food Hub provide a centralized process that allows buyers to purchase more locally grown food from various farmers. The food hub was established based on the Spartanburg County Food System Assessment identification of a need to increase demand for and access to local, nutritious food. Now, PAL wants to increase that access even further by piloting a Healthy Bucks-based incentive program model for SNAP recipients. Support from Wholespire will help purchase the EBT machine need to process SNAP purchases, fees associated with machine set-up and operations capacity, and signage promoting the incentive program.

Berea Middle School
Community feedback is an important piece of the HEAL Mini-Grant application and Berea Middle School in Greenville County School District is a fantastic example. They surveyed students about school improvement to find out what the students wanted and needed. Students overwhelmingly replied that the outdoor/recess area was most important to them and what they think is important to other students. With a HEAL Mini-Grant, all students will have access to new ADA-accessible playground equipment, shade sails, games and many other fun outdoor activities.

Hickory Tavern Elementary & Middle School
Getting kids active on the playground requires some amenities like shade and places to rest. At Hickory Tavern Elementary and Middle School in Laurens County School District 55, the School Improvement Committee, teachers, parents and staff all agreed that adding shade sails and benches to the playgrounds is a priority. By adding these amenities through a HEAL Mini-Grant, all students and teachers will be able to use the playground during peak sun exposure times, increase physical activity and spend more time outdoors.

Gray Court Owings Elementary & Middle School
Simple and easy upgrades to school playgrounds can, sometimes, be the only things needed to make recess safer during times of peak sun exposure. At Gray Court Owings Elementary & Middle School in Laurens County School District 55, district and school stakeholders completed a needs assessment addressing the facility and instructional environment. Shade structures for students was an important addition to the playground. With support from Wholespire, the students at Gray Court Owings Elementary and Middle School will have a safer experience during hot weather days.

Fellowship Camp and Conference Center
Guests and visitors of Fellowship Camp and Conference Center, located on Lake Greenwood in Laurens County, have indicated the need for amenities that encourage outdoor recreation time. Some of those amenities, like any park or playground, provide resting areas, shade and event opportunities for an outdoor classroom or gathering. With Wholespire support, the camp be able to install tables and shade sails, making changes to the built environment along the waterfront that encourage everyone visiting the site to engage in physical activity and spend time outdoors.

PSE Simplified: Determining if your project is a PSE change or program

Jun 20, 2024 | Blog, Community Action Blog

Wholespire provides grant opportunities to communities across South Carolina for implementing a policy, system or environmental (PSE) change project. It’s a concept that can be challenging to explain and understand. To prepare you for any upcoming grant opportunities from Wholespire, we want to help you determine if your project is a PSE change or a program. We also want to help you save time before applying for a grant that will not get funded because it is considered to be a program.

What is a Program?

Programs typically occur over a short period of time and only focus on individual behavior change. They are often considered health education rather than community health improvement. Hospitals and health centers often provide programs that teach people living with chronic diseases how to manage their condition through diet and exercise.

What is PSE Change?

Policy, systems and environmental change make healthier choices more practical and readily available to all members of a community and influence community health and well-being. They are often part of an ongoing project or plan. PSE change reaches more people and leads to more impactful, long-term changes in community health.

PSE Change + Programs = Greater Success

Wholespire focuses on whole community health through PSE change, while other organizations focus on individual behavior change through programs. We support the use of programs to reach individuals because programs and PSE change complement each other and can lead to even greater success than a stand-alone program.

Scenario 1: One-time Event

A municipality receives a Wholespire mini-grant to create a paved walking trail in a local park. They host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on opening day that features exhibitors offering health education information and giveaways for community members. The one-time event is a tactic to get community members to the new trail.

Scenario 2: Traditional Program

A community health needs assessment shows eating fruits and vegetables is important to community members, and they don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables because they don’t know how to prepare and cook with them. The local health coalition chooses to host a free Cooking Matters program to teach individuals how to cook with fresh produce. To supplement the classes, the coalition partners with the local community garden. Garden organizers donate produce from the garden for the cooking demonstrations and give free produce boxes to participants.

Tips to consider when writing a Wholespire grant proposal

Jun 3, 2024 | Blog, Community Action Blog

Funding your organization’s mission isn’t always easy, especially for non-profits. A lack of direct income means you often have to rely on external funding sources to support your work. This is a good opportunity where grants can help.

While working with a grant writer can help boost your chances of an application being funded, it isn’t always possible and organizations must then rely on their own staff. While grant writing is multifaceted, it’s very much a learnable skill. When people ask me to explain what I do as a grant writer, I’ve often replied that it isn’t rocket science, but organization and attention to detail are critical.

When people ask me to explain what I do as a grant writer, I’ve often replied that it isn’t rocket science, but organization and attention to detail are critical.

If you don’t have a lot of experience in developing grant proposals, here are a few tips to help your application stand out to reviewers:

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Follow any formatting instructions provided on the application.

Pay attention to formatting specifications: Does the application ask you to use a certain font or to only submit as a PDF or Word document? Is the narrative (or any other section) supposed to be in paragraph style or bullet points? Is there a word count or other size limitation to your answers? Write as briefly and concisely as you can, and only give the information the application is requesting.

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Describe your project in detail.

Arguably the most important part of a grant application is the project description. Ensure that you have narrowed your focus and that your project aligns with the mission of the funder. Projects that are too broad in scope will often not be funded because there either isn’t adequate time or money to successfully complete the project. Here are some things to consider when writing your project narrative:

Why is the proposed project needed? What problem or opportunity will you address? Statistics and solid numbers will help enhance your proposal even more.
How will you accomplish the proposed activities and objectives?
Who will the project benefit? Be as specific with numbers and characteristics as you can, particularly if your project will serve disadvantaged groups such as low- to moderate-income, minorities, at-risk youth, or people with special needs.
Is your proposed project part of a larger project? Many grants are used to move along or complete a larger project. Funders like knowing they are playing a part in a greater effort, but be specific in what phase of the project these particular grant funds will go toward.

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Offer relevant background information.

Sticking to a 300-word limit project summary while also being specific is not a simple task. Other sections in the application, such as asking for information on your organization’s mission and activities, are where you can fill in the gaps and expand on details from the project summary. Here are some examples of helpful information to include:

Demographics of the community being served.
Project outcomes: how the proposed project will benefit the community or audience of focus and how you will measure your success.
Sustainability: how will the project continue beyond the grant cycle?
If applicable, a description of the larger project and what stage you are in.

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Develop an accurate budget.

Most grants will maintain a maximum amount you can request in funding. Always make sure your budget falls at or below this number (unless you intend to fund the rest, which should be noted with a funds-commitment letter from the head of your organization). When putting together a cost estimate, it’s always better to have line items provided by a professional contractor, online pricing, or other verified means rather than figures you have assumed yourself.

Sometimes a funder may want to see your previous fiscal year’s organizational budget or bank statements to ensure you are operating at a profit and will have some available funds to continue your project. Be sure to include this information if requested.

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Define community engagement efforts.

Community support of a project reinforces that a need exists within your area. Explain how input from your community led you to focus on this particular issue. This is also an appropriate section to describe key partnerships. What organizations and groups are you collaborating with, both by way of financial support and in-kind or volunteer efforts? How do you leverage other resources in the community?

Most community coalitions conduct community health needs assessments to determine what’s important to community members and what they need most to lead a healthy lifestyle. Specifically for Wholespire’s mini-grants, use this information to prioritize policy, systems, or environmental projects and include it in the grant proposal.

Often times, your local government may also have administered a community needs assessment that you can request. If, however, an applicant does not have a needs assessment to rely on for direction, there are other ways to evaluate the community’s opinions and needs. Online surveys and community meetings are easy and low-cost alternatives.

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Make sure to proofread!

Don’t let spelling and grammatical errors take away from an otherwise strong grant proposal. These types of careless oversights can lead to a reduction in scoring. Make sure to take advantage of spelling and grammar check tools before submitting your proposal.

It’s also a good idea to ask someone else to help you proofread your application. You’ve read through the application many times, so you may inadvertently skip over some errors or not have provided enough detail in a certain section. A second set of eyes could catch something you haven’t and can offer feedback to any clarifications needed.

Wholespire’s mini-grants (and non-profit or foundation grants in general) are very competitive, so give yourself enough time to write a quality application.

Wholespire’s mini-grants (and non-profit or foundation grants in general) are very competitive, so give yourself enough time to write a quality application. Reviewers can tell how much effort you put into your application and the proposed project by the information you submit. Allow yourself the time needed to submit your application prior to the due date.

Adrienne Patrick is the Director of Development at MPA Strategies, a statewide marketing and public relations firm. She is a certified Grant Writer and has successfully secured over $3 million in funding for MPA client projects including local infrastructure, non-profit programming, city planning, and community parks. Adrienne has years of experience in event planning and fundraising for both non-profits and political candidates, including serving as Governor David Beasley’s Finance Director for his United States Senate Campaign. She is a journalism graduate of the University of Georgia.

Engaging Communities, Schools and Youth to Create Safe Spaces for Physical Activity

Apr 23, 2024 | Schools, Webinars

The physical environment is a key tool for living a healthy lifestyle! Learn from Brandie Freeman, Wholespire Marketing and Communications Manager, and Jamaius White, The HYPE Project Program Manager, as they discuss community and school projects that shape the physical environment. This webinar will explore advocacy efforts surrounding schools, the Healthy Young People Empowerment Project (HYPE!), and funding opportunities for PSE change!

Why do we use the mini-grant model?

Mar 17, 2022 | Community Action Blog

Depending on how long you’ve been keeping up with Wholespire, you may be aware that we award mini-grants to community coalitions and organizations periodically. Our application process is competitive, meaning we weigh various health outcomes, population, and demographic data to help determine the most need. However, what you may not know is why we offer mini-grants, rather than large chunks of money. In this post, we’ll explain the history of our mini-grants and the reason we use this model.

What is the Mini-Grant Model?

Mini-grants are grant awards that are relatively small amounts of money and typically have short implementation periods.

Since 2018, Wholespire has been offering mini-grants of up to $5,000 to community coalitions, schools, local government, faith-based groups, and other non-profit organizations. These mini-grants can be used to implement a policy, systems, or environmental change that addresses healthy eating and/or active living. To date, 45 mini-grants have been awarded for projects like:

Add signage to an existing walking loop,
Add fitness stations to parks,
Create community gardens,
Include bilingual signage at farmers’ markets, and
Start new HYPE teams to lead civic action projects similar to the ones just listed.

Why Wholespire Adopted the Mini-Grant Model

Before 2018, Wholespire awarded large grants with a longer implementation period to help a small number of communities work on multiple improvement projects. Our hope was there would be a greater health impact. But that didn’t happen with all of the communities we funded.

Some communities experienced challenges, while others didn’t. Receiving a large amount of money can be overwhelming. It isn’t always easy to choose how to spend the money and what areas to tackle first. Sometimes it’s difficult to reach a consensus, while other times, you get so bogged down in a couple of strategies that the other strategies and the money get lost.

After evaluating these instances, Wholespire noticed that even when coalitions have large amounts of grant funding, they tend to spend their money in smaller increments like $5-$10,000 rather than spending large amounts of money at one time. We concluded that change needed to happen. We needed to look internally and adopt a different approach to grantmaking. So, we began using the mini-grant model to help grantees manage their awards better.

Successes Related to the Mini-Grant Model

We found that the smaller mini-grant investments led to a domino effect of momentum in communities. Oftentimes, the mini-grants led to investments by community partners as well as in-kind donations. Adopting this model meant we would be able to give more coalitions and organizations the opportunity to apply for these small grants.

In addition to being able to reach more coalitions, it gives community coalitions and organizations a chance to implement a project without the burden of managing large amounts of funding or committing to a long period of time. Coalitions can organize and work on community action plans without the time constraints of a grant and then apply for a mini-grant when they are ready to carry out their plan of action.

why the mini-grant model works

Our experiences have shown that many community coalitions and organizations are looking for a few hundred dollars to complete a project that fits our mission, while others need seed money to get a project moving. Wholespire provides funding opportunities, when available, for not only these reasons but ultimately to reduce health disparities, improve health equity, and increase access to healthy choices.

Are you interested in learning more about our funding opportunities? Visit the Community Action page on our website or contact us.