Astrazeneca Healthcare Foundation

PROGRAM REPORTING & EVALUATION:CONNECTIONS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH (CCH) NEXT GENERATION GRANT AWARDEES SUBMIT PROGRAM REPORTS AND RECEIVE EVALUATIONS THREE TIMES PER GRANT YEAR WHICH HELP IDENTIFY OUTCOMES AND AREAS THAT MAY NEED ADDRESSED. AFTER RECEIVING THE EVALUATION, GRANT AWARDEES MAY BE ASKED TO SUBMIT ACTION PLANS TO ENSURE THEY MEET PROGRAM GOALS BY YEAR-END. GRANT AWARDEES HAVE REGULAR ACCESS TO FOUNDATION STAFF AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERS FOR ASSISTANCE. AT YEAR-END, ALL SIX ORGANIZATIONS MET OR EXCEEDED THEIR OBJECTIVES OVERALL ON THEIR EVALUATIONS. SEPARATELY, CREATING HEALTH ACCESS FOR NEXT GENERATION EQUITY (CHANGE) GRANT AWARDEES PARTICIPATE IN A MONTHLY COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD (CAB) WITH THE FOUNDATION AND UNIVERSITY PARTNERS FOR CAPACITY-BUILDING SUPPORT AND TO ESTABLISH A REPORTING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE.

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS:AS PART OF THE FOUNDATION'S CCH NEXT GENERATION MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, REGULAR ENGAGEMENT CALLS AND EDUCATIONAL WEBINARS ARE HELD TO SUPPORT GRANT AWARDEE ORGANIZATIONS IN BUILDING CAPACITY TO SUCCESSFULLY DELIVER IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS. DURING THIS PAST YEAR, THE FOUNDATION AND ITS UNIVERSITY EVALUATION PARTNERS WORKED WITH CCH NEXT GENERATION GRANT AWARDEES TO ASSESS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOP PROGRAM SUSTAINABILITY ACTION PLANS TO ENSURE ORGANIZATIONS ARE WELL POSITIONED TO CONTINUE THEIR PROGRAMS BEYOND FOUNDATION FUNDING. ADDITIONALLY, A LEARNING FORUM BROUGHT TOGETHER LONGSTANDING CCH NEXT GENERATION GRANT AWARDEES AND NEW CHANGE AWARDEES TO FOSTER CONNECTIONS AND SHARE LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH A PANEL SESSION AND ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS.

COMMUNICATIONS & DISSEMINATION:THE FOUNDATION WORKS TO AMPLIFY THE WORK OF GRANT AWARDEE INITIATIVES AS WELL AS THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH EQUITY COMMITMENTS THROUGH COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES SUCH AS SOCIAL MEDIA, ITS ANNUAL REPORT, AN E-MAIL DISTRIBUTION TO THE FOUNDATION'S MAILING LIST OF OVER 2,000 INDIVIDUALS, VIDEOS AND BLOG POSTS. ADDITIONALLY, IN 2023, THE FOUNDATION SUPPORTED CCH NEXT GENERATION GRANT AWARDEES IN THEIR EFFORTS TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR THEIR PROGRAMS AND FURTHER BUILD CAPACITY IN COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH PROVIDING A MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER WITH SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS AND RESOURCES, AS WELL AS TEMPLATES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA AND PRESS RELEASES. IN ALIGNMENT WITH ITS COMMITMENT TO SHARING LESSONS LEARNED, THE FOUNDATION ALSO DISSEMINATED ITS MENTORSHIP PROGRAM TOOLKIT, WHICH OFFERS EFFECTIVE PRACTICES FROM ITS IMPACTFUL MENTORSHIP PROGRAM AND SERVES AS A ROADMAP FOR OTHER PHILANTHROPIC AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING A MENTORSHIP PROGRAM OF THEIR OWN.

APPLICATION & GRANT PROCESS REVIEW:IN 2023, THE FOUNDATION OFFERED SEVERAL CAPACITY-BUILDING ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT CHANGE GRANT APPLICANTS IN DEVELOPING IMPACTFUL APPLICATIONS: A WEBINAR WITH TIPS, EXAMPLES AND RESOURCES; A STRONG SAMPLE APPLICATION; OFFICE HOURS TO ASK QUESTIONS; AND A GUIDE FOR STRENGTHENING PROPOSALS FOR ORGANIZATIONS REQUESTING FEEDBACK ON INITIAL APPLICATIONS NOT SELECTED. A MULTI-TIER GRANT REVIEW PROCESS WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE APPLICATIONS AND IDENTIFY ORGANIZATIONS OFFERING INNOVATIVE, COMMUNITY-ENGAGED APPROACHES TO IMPROVING ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES SELECTED THE FINAL APPLICANTS FOR FUNDING. ADDITIONALLY, A SEPARATE GRANT REVIEW PROCESS WAS HELD TO VET HEALTH EQUITY GRANT APPLICATIONS FROM PREVIOUS CCH NEXT GENERATION GRANT AWARDEES AND ENSURE THAT EACH APPLICATION MET REQUIREMENTS. ALL HEALTH EQUITY GRANT APPLICATIONS WERE RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL BY THE BOARD.