A: To improve the health of all Kansans.

A: The Kansas Health Foundation envisions a culture in which every Kansan can make healthy choices where they live, work and play.

A: Since 1985.

A: The Kansas Health Foundation’s address is 309 E. Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67202.

A: We are open Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Our building is closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.

A: Please contact Chase Willhite, associate vice president for communication, at 316-491-8455 or cwillhite@khf.org.

A: The Kansas Health Foundation provides funding within two primary areas: Civic Health and Health Equity.

A: The following areas are excluded from receiving Foundation grants:

• Medical research
• Contributions to capital campaigns
• Operating deficits or retirement of debt
• Construction projects, real estate acquisitions, or endowments, not part of a Foundation-initiated program
• Lobbying on the introduction, enactment or amendment of specific legislation and activities supporting candidates of political campaigns
• Activities supporting political candidates or voter registration drives, as defined in IRC section 4945(d)(2)
• Vehicles, such as vans or buses
• Medical equipment
• Direct mental health services
• Direct medical services
• Grants to individuals
• Annual fund drives
• Fundraising events

A: We focus on long-term solutions instead of quick fixes to today’s problems. The Kansas Health Foundation wants to help prevent Kansans from becoming unhealthy in the first place. Our goal is to do the most good for as many Kansans as possible with our limited resources. We spend time listening to people across the state and then we consult with experts on the root problems that have been identified and create strategic plans for tackling those problems. As the health needs of Kansas change, our Foundation’s focus areas will change with them.

A: The Kansas Health Foundation funds a wide variety of programs across the state designed to promote healthy behaviors that help prevent disease, including good nutrition, increasing physical activity and decreasing tobacco use. And those are just a few of our efforts along these lines.

A: Our Impact and Capacity Grant (ICG) program, which gives Kansas nonprofits, schools and agencies as much as $2 million in grants each year, is open to any nonprofit organization working to improve health in Kansas within one of KHF’s four impact areas. This is the main opportunity that nonprofits have to request funding from the Kansas Health Foundation. Using a competitive application process, this program awards up to $25,000 per organization. For more details, be looking for the announcement this spring that ICG grants are open.

Additionally, We are always open to hearing from Kansas nonprofits doing innovative work that meets our mission, so KHF accepts letters of inquiry from organizations that believe they have a project fitting this description.

A: No. We do not solicit or accept donations. Instead, we seek opportunities to invest our resources in people and projects that meet our mission and create long-term, sustainable health improvements.

A: Our funding comes from an endowment created by the sale of Wesley Medical Center, and our asset base of approximately $500 million remains strong thanks to a dedicated team of advisers and investment managers.

A: That dollar amount fluctuates each year, depending on the size of our asset base. The total amount of our grantmaking typically ranges from $18 million to $23 million a year.

A: Our major initiatives are approved by the Foundation’s Board of Directors, and these projects represent the largest percentage of grant money given each year. For other grant programs, including the Impact and Capacity Grant program, decisions are made via an internal committee of reviewers.

A: The Kansas Health Foundation founded the Kansas Health Institute in 1995 and continues to fund this Topeka-based organization, which conducts research and policy analysis on health-related issues. The Kansas Health Institute also provides state lawmakers with nonpartisan, objective data to help inform their decisions on health policy. The Kansas Health Institute is one of our key partners, but it is not run by the Kansas Health Foundation. KHI has its own staff, board of directors and goals.

A: The Kansas Health Foundation created the Kansas Leadership Center in 2005 and continues to fund this Wichita-based organization, which is dedicated to nurturing and building leaders throughout the state. The Leadership Center provides the training and resources necessary to unlock the often-overlooked leadership potential within each of us. Leadership is critical to help Kansans transform their communities into healthier places to live. While the Kansas Leadership Center is one of our key partners, it is not run by the Kansas Health Foundation. It is a separate organization with its own staff, board of directors and goals.