WICHITA, KAN. — Five organizations from across the state have received grant funding from the Kansas Health Foundation to support efforts related to increasing voter participation during the upcoming election cycle.

Grant projects will support non-partisan voter engagement strategies designed to increase citizen participation in the 2016 elections. Organizations being awarded these grants will each work to increase voter registration, and ultimately voter turnout, for individuals in parts of the state with high rates of poverty, poor health outcomes and high rates of uninsured residents.

“We’re increasingly seeing the connection between civic engagement, such as voter participation, and health outcomes,” said Jeff Willett, vice president for programs and policy at the Kansas Health Foundation. “Each of these organizations will work within specific census tracts that have both low voting rates and also poorer health outcomes.”

The following organizations will receive grant funding:

• Peace and Social Justice Education Fund ($10,000), working in Sedgwick County
• Seed House — La Casa de la Semilla ($10,000), working in Sedgwick County
• El Centro ($10,000), working in Wyandotte County
• YWCA of Northeast Kansas ($9,990), working in Shawnee County
• ACLU Foundation of Kansas ($6,426), working in Wyandotte County

These grants coincide with the release of the Kansas Civic Health Index, a partnership of KHF and the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), which examines civic health in Kansas with a specific focus on the civic engagement of Kansans with different levels of income, education, and racial/ethnic backgrounds.

“With data from the report showing disparities in civic health mirror important health disparities in Kansas, we believe this is an opportunity to fund innovative organizations to do this important work,” Willett said.

The full Kansas Civic Health Index, as well as supporting documents and additional information, is available at kansashealth.org/resources/kansas-civil-health-index/.