Press Releases

Highmark announces $4.27 million community investment to support 23 health-focused initiatives

• Bumps Blue Fund’s Total Investment to $23.8 Million

Buffalo, N.Y. (September 24, 2024) — Through Highmark Bright Blue Futures charitable giving and community involvement program, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield today announced a significant investment in the health and well-being of the region, awarding $4.27 million in Blue Fund grants to 23 impactful health-based projects.

These annual grants, distributed across all eight counties of Western New York, will empower local nonprofits to address critical health needs and improve health outcomes and equity in the areas of behavioral health, cardiovascular health, health care workforce development, maternal health, and healthy children. Blue Fund’s total investment in Western New York reached $23.8 million this year.

Niagara County is well-represented among the 2024 grant recipients, with several organizations receiving funding to support vital initiatives, including Niagara Falls Boys & Girls Club, Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative and Heart Love & Soul, which is where today’s announcement was made.

“Highmark’s 2024 Blue Fund investments are a continuation of our longstanding efforts to increase health equity in the communities we serve,” said Michael Ball, vice president, community affairs, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. “The amazing organizations receiving Blue Fund grants this year have the ability to enact real change in minimizing the barriers to health that exist in all eight counties of Western New York, and we’re proud to uplift their missions and further their collective impact.”

The health plan’s employees spent the morning volunteering at various organizations throughout Niagara County including, Heart Love & Soul.

Below are the recipients of the 2024 Blue Fund Grants:

1. Back to Basics Outreach Ministries, Inc. (Buffalo Peacemakers) will receive $100,000 to support Buffalo HEAT, a program that uses mentoring, nutrition, exercise, and restorative practices to empower at-risk youth. Through these interventions, participants overcome past trauma and present challenges, developing insights and forming habits that create health, life skills, self-confidence, and a positive life purpose.
   
2. Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo will receive $150,000 to provide behavioral therapists, in partnership with Daemen University, at five Club sites, who will engage members in year-round activities. These therapists will mediate negative behaviors, foster socio-emotional development, and establish helpful patterns of thought and behavior.
   
3. Build Promise, Inc. will receive $175,000 purchase equipment and furnishings for the Build Promise Community Access Center, a new facility located in an East Buffalo community struggling with poor social determinants of health.
   
4. Cattaraugus Community Action will receive $275,000 to implement its Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plan, that was initially funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
   
5. Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative will receive $150,000 to support Fatima's Heart: Mommy Meals and Miles, a pre- and postnatal nutrition, physical activity, and health support program for mothers in Niagara Falls.
   
6. Every Bottom Covered, Inc. will receive $200,000 to improve maternal and child health in the eight counties of Western New York by expanding their network of agencies. This expansion will provide wrap-around support through advocacy, education, referral services, free diapers and diapering supplies, and personal care products for families living in poverty.
   
7. Gigi's Playhouse will receive $135,000 to expand and enhance programming for individuals with Down syndrome through the addition of a full-time Program Coordinator.
   
8. Gobike will receive $250,000 to support The Pedal Power program, a catalyst for change and a source of inspiration for children aged 6-14 in our community. Beyond the simple joys of bicycling, this program promotes health and safety, and strengthening the social fabric of our community.
   
9. Harvest House Buffalo will receive $200,000 support a holistic care model that utilizes Social Determinants of Health and Trauma-Informed leadership models to address and eliminate health disparities in Buffalo's most marginalized communities.
   
10. Heart Love & Soul, Inc. will receive $250,000 to expand Heart Love & Soul's pantry and grow its related food and nutrition programs. This expansion will meet the increasing need for fresh, nutritious food and wellness services in a person-centered and dignified setting, benefiting healthy families and children in Niagara Falls.
    
11. Mental Health Advocates of WNY will receive $280,000 to expand access to comprehensive youth mental health education programs, services, supports, referrals, and resources to at least four rural communities that currently lack consistent, peer-supported youth mental health care.
    
12. Mercy Flight will receive $100,000 to reduce Social Determinants of Health disparities in rural areas by providing education and job opportunities. This initiative will create a pipeline of Emergency Medical Providers with the ultimate goal of reducing health inequities across the eight counties of Western New York.
    
13. Niagara Falls Boys & Girls Club will receive $125,000 to support its Food IRL (In Real Life) program. This program consists of fun, interactive, and practical activities that will develop our kids' skills, confidence, and motivation to make healthy nutrition choices now and throughout life.
    
14. NMB Foundation will receive $100,000 to expand its reach and impact by creating an online platform, based on the award-winning NOLAN Project. This platform will help educators, administrators, staff, parents, and students address the unprecedented rise in mental health challenges, suicide rates, and drug use among America's adolescents.
    
15. P.U.N.T. Pediatric Cancer Collaborative will receive $200,000 to support the Western New York Ultimate Compassion Family Grief Center.  The Grief Center will provide safe space that promotes health, well-being, and emotional/mental support and healing for grieving children and families in Western New York.
    
16. Per Scholas Buffalo will receive $125,000 to train un/underemployed adult residents of Western New York and support them in attaining tech jobs. This initiative will generate $5.6 million in first-year wages alone, enabling participants to invest in themselves and their families while also meeting the healthcare industry's tech workforce needs
    
17. Providence Farm Collective Corp will receive $220,000 to empower a diverse generation of farmers in Western New York through Incubator Farmer, Summer Youth Employment, and Farm Lunch programs. These initiatives directly address racial health and economic disparities, especially pertaining to fresh food access, income earned through farming, and behavioral health.
    
18. Seneca Street Community Development Corporation will receive $150,000 to fund a Health Equity Coordinator for two years to organize and bring critical health services to Seneca Babcock residents.
    
19. Southern Tier Health Care System, Inc. will receive $300,000 to implement a Mobile Integrated Healthcare/Community Paramedicine (MIH/CP) program, which will enhance healthcare accessibility for older adults and low-income individuals in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties. This implementation follows a planning grant provided by the New York Health Foundation.
    
20. Spectrum Health and Human Services will receive $150,000 to support a partnership with the Office of Aging in Wyoming County to identify and link seniors in rural communities without access to behavioral healthcare. This partnership will provide high-quality, community-based counseling services for older adults directly in their home environment.
    
21. The Economic Development Group, Inc. dba Northland Workforce Training Center will receive $300,000 to support students in programs with intensive wrap-around services that ensure their health and wellness as they work towards their degree in advanced manufacturing and energy sectors.
    
22. United Way of Orleans County will receive $200,000 to support a county-wide nutritional health program, in partnership with the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. This program seeks funds to provide low-income families with material resources, nutritional education, and vouchers to redeem for locally grown produce.
    
23. Veterans One-Stop Center of WNY, Inc. will receive $140,000 to provide case management services and conduct targeted, culturally sensitive outreach activities to connect underserved minority and female Veterans to behavioral health services and our comprehensive programs. This initiative will address disparities in healthcare and treatment.
    

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield launched Blue Fund in July 2018 to support organizations and initiatives that work collaboratively to address key health areas and demonstrate enhanced measurable outcomes for the community.

Organizations interested in learning more about Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield’s corporate giving should visit Highmark Bright Blue Futures | Corporate Giving.