FARGO – The North Dakota Caring Foundation, Inc. nonprofit organization has received a $4,000 matching grant from the Dakota Medical Foundation. The grant will help support the North Dakota Caring Foundation's Caring for Children program, which provides access to primary and preventive health, dental and mental health care services for eligible children in North Dakota. The children helped by the program come from families who do not qualify for government-funded medical assistance programs and whose parents cannot afford private health insurance.

The Dakota Medical Foundation matched $4,000 of the $6,848 Caring for Children raised during the Giving Hearts Day online fundraiser, for a total of $10,848.

Caring for Children is administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND). The program was founded by BCBSND in 1989 as part of the not-for-profit mutual insurance company's efforts to make health care accessible to all North Dakotans. In 2011, a total of 1,082 unduplicated children were enrolled in the Caring for Children program. The North Dakota Caring Foundation and BCBSND are both independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The Dakota Medical Foundation of Fargo focuses on improving health and access to medical and dental care throughout the region, especially for children. Since 1996, the Dakota Medical Foundation has invested more than $63.9 million in 387 nonprofit organizations in the region.