Fargo, N.D. – Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) Caring Foundation is excited to announce the 2025 fall Health Innovation Grant recipients. These one-year grants are available to North Dakota nonprofits, municipalities or school districts working to support community-based well-being through new, expanding or innovative programs. Health Innovation Grants aim to foster collaboration, increase community engagement and create lasting, meaningful change.
The BCBSND Caring Foundation is pleased to award funds to the following organizations:
Fargo-Moorhead Coalition to End Homelessness will lead the development of the Housing Access and Diversion Call Center to improve how people access shelter and housing crisis support in Cass County. This work will focus on designing the program framework, engaging key partners, and coordinating system planning. Once implemented, the hybrid call center will serve as a single, trusted point of contact for individuals and families experiencing housing instability, connecting them to real-time shelter availability, prevention resources, and diversion support to improve coordination and strengthen health and housing outcomes across the region.
Junior Achievement North is preparing middle and high school students for financial success through their Finance Park Mobile Unit. This immersive simulation equips students in rural and underserved areas with essential financial literacy skills, such as personal money management skills and preparing them for real-world financial decisions.
NDSU American Indian Public Health Resource Center will support the Indigenous Community of Fargo with Navigating Healthcare with Culture and Confidence: A Community Toolkit. This culturally grounded toolkit will empower Indigenous community members with culturally resonant, practical and empowering tools to access, navigate and trust health care systems while honoring cultural identity and addressing systemic barriers.
Sacred Pipe will use the funds to support their Health Translators Project in Burleigh County. This initiative supports urban tribal populations in building stronger relationships with their primary health care providers and advocate for their own health care through better doctor-patient communication by using peer-supported communication and advocacy.
Hazelton Development Corporation is leading the creation of the South Central Rural Grocers Cooperative. This cooperative will expand a food redistribution partnership among rural grocery stores to prevent food deserts, improve access to fresh, healthy food, sustain rural grocery stores and maintain critical food access for residents of rural communities.
The grants are guided by findings from the Foundation’s Social Drivers of Health report, which highlights how daily environments can influence overall well-being. By investing in local partnerships, the Foundation works to enhance healthy lifestyles, address service gaps and promote access to health care across the state.
Since 2021, over $1 million has been invested in more than 40 organizations for their upstream, innovative initiatives through the Health Innovation Grant.
The BCBSND Caring Foundation seeks future grant applications
- Spring Health Innovation Grant letters of intent are accepted starting Jan. 1, 2026. Learn more or apply here: www.bcbsbnd.com/innovationgrant
- The Caring Foundation is accepting Health Scholarships applications through Oct. 1 for students pursuing a health-related field at a North Dakota school. Read the guidelines and download the application here: https://www.bcbsnd.com/caring-foundation/grants/health-scholarships
- Rural Health Grants support care facilities and their communities. Grant applications are accepted from Nov. 1-15. Visit the Caring Foundation website for more information and to apply.
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 non-profit sustainability, promote shared outcomes and create lasting change.
