Fargo, N.D. – Healthier communities start with people who see a need and imagine a better way forward. This year, the BCBSND Caring Foundation is expanding its Health Innovation Grants to support seven organizations, nearly doubling the number of recipients typically funded through the program to respond to increased community needs.
These grants invest in bold, community-driven solutions that address North Dakota’s most pressing health challenges. Awarded through a competitive process, they support new or expanded initiatives that improve health access and opportunities, strengthen community partnerships and encourage innovative approaches that can be replicated and scaled across the state. By funding forward-thinking ideas with the potential for lasting impact, the BCBSND Caring Foundation is helping communities create healthier futures for all North Dakotans.
The BCBSND Caring Foundation is awarding funds to the following organizations supporting their proposed innovative programs and initiatives:
- ABLE, Inc. — Bowman, Hettinger, Dickinson
ABLE, Inc. is expanding its Inclusive Healthcare pilot to explore how individualized support and patient comfort can improve access to care for people with disabilities and complex needs. The project will test strategies to reduce barriers, enhance patient experience, and develop sustainable approaches that can be replicated in healthcare settings across North Dakota.
- Folkways – Cass County
Folkways is expanding its Red River Market food security and education programming to increase access to fresh, locally grown food through SNAP Double Bucks, nutrition education, cooking demonstrations and multilingual outreach while helping individuals and families build lasting healthy eating habits.
- Growing Small Towns – Oakes
Growing Small Towns’ GROWell for Educators is a year-long pilot designed to support the well-being of educators and administrators in the Oakes School District. Through practical mental health and resilience-building strategies, the project aims to reduce burnout, strengthen workforce wellness, and create a model that can inform educator support efforts in rural communities.
- HIA Primary Care – Rural Northeast ND
HIA Primary Care is expanding access to home-based primary care and palliative care for rural older adults and medically complex patients in northeast North Dakota. The project will strengthen awareness of home-based care options, improve care coordination, and streamline referrals among healthcare providers to better support aging adults in rural communities.
- Legal Services of North Dakota – Statewide
Legal Services of North Dakota is expanding its medical-legal partnership model to help healthcare providers identify and address health-related civil legal needs. The project will develop referral tools, training, and resources that improve access to legal support while creating a scalable framework that can be adopted by communities across the state.
- Smile Network International – Standing Rock Sioux and Turtle Mountain Reservations
Smile Network International is expanding its Tribal Oral Health Initiative into North Dakota to provide school-based dental care for children on the Standing Rock Sioux and Turtle Mountain reservations. Building on a successful pilot program, the project increases access to preventive oral health services and early treatment in communities where care can be difficult to obtain.
- Sollera – Cass County
Sollera, formerly the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center, is implementing and evaluating trauma-informed healing environments for children, adults, and families receiving counseling and family support services. The project will identify approaches that help individuals feel safer, more comfortable, and better able to engage in services while developing practices that can be shared with other organizations.
Together, these seven organizations are addressing health challenges through creative, community-led solutions that expand access, improve well-being, and strengthen support systems across North Dakota. Their work reflects the BCBSND Caring Foundation's commitment to investing in innovative ideas that can improve lives today while creating lasting change for future generations.
About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation
Established in 1989, the BCBSND Caring Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Through giving and investing, the Caring Foundation focuses on key health issues to help improve the health and well-being of North Dakotans and their communities. Caring Foundation staff collaborate with grantees to support nonprofit sustainability, promote shared outcomes and create lasting change.
