As part of a multistate initiative connecting the importance of voting and civic engagement with long-term health, the Kansas Health Foundation, in partnership with the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the REACH Healthcare Foundation, has announced grants totaling $2.25 million to ten nonprofit organizations in the state.

Awarded through the Kansas Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE): Health Depends on a Vibrant Democracy initiative, the grants of $225,000 over three years will support organizations working to promote civic engagement among Kansans who have not traditionally been involved in the democratic process. The recipients include the Climate + Energy Project, which will use the funds to invest in high-quality IVE training through a partnership with Wellstone Action and a statewide network of environmental advocacy groups and community leaders focused on climate and energy solutions; the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, which will launch Voters Together, an IVE program that addresses health disparities connected to food insecurity, incarceration, and low voter turnout in southeastern Kansas; Shawnee Mission and Kansas City, which will work to identify health equity issues important to their target populations and devise strategies for connecting those issues with voting and broader civic engagement; and Seed House-La Casa de Semilla, which seeks to build stronger civic engagement and increased voter participation among voters in Wichita between the ages of 18 and 35, with a focus on young people of color.

"We're pleased that our funding can strengthen communities by both improving health outcomes in the state and increasing voter engagement," said KHF president and CEO Steve Coen.