Core Priorities Funding

The Core Priorities funding opportunity provides support to nonprofit organizations administering health-related programming with direct impact on one or more of the Foundation’s four focus areas: food insecurity; mental and behavioral health; substance use disorder; and tobacco use prevention and cessation.

Projects funded under the Core Priorities funding opportunities are typically complex in design and have the potential to make a broad, transformative impact on the focus area(s), often at a systems level. The Foundation funds an average of four to five Core Priorities projects each year.

The discretionary Core Priorities opportunity is open year-round. An organization may be invited to apply following multiple, detailed conversations with the Foundation team during which time the potential applicant may be asked to supply a variety of preliminary documentation. Awards range from $100,000 to $300,000 and have a grant performance period of two years. Because of the expected complexity and scale of Core projects, applicants must be able to demonstrate significant prior experience with similar grant-funded awards. The Pallottine Foundation of Huntington’s Board of Trustees reviews Core Priorities proposals throughout the year at its quarterly board meetings.

Before contacting the Foundation regarding a project, potential applicants should:

Review the eligibility guidelines on the Foundation’s website to ensure the nonprofit organization meets the Foundation’s application requirements.
Understand the types of projects typically supported in the Foundation’s four focus areas to ensure appropriate alignment.
Read the 2023 – 2024 Core Priorities application questions available on the Foundation’s website. While the application questions may vary slightly from year to year, understanding the type of information required for a Core application will help prepare a potential applicant for an initial discussion with a Foundation team member.
If, after careful consideration of the above information, the potential applicant believes its project meets the Core Priorities criteria, please contact a member of our program team for an initial discussion:

Jana Stoner, Health Program Officer
304-397-5955, ext. 105, jkstoner@pallottinehuntington.org
Claire Snyder, Health Program Officer
304-397-5955, ext. 104, cesnyder@pallottinehuntington.org
Laura Boone, Senior Program Officer
304-397-5955, ext. 103, lkboone@pallottinehuntington.org

If the Foundation approves the advancement of the proposed project, the organization will be invited to submit an application using the Foundation’s online grant management system

What do we look for?

While no two Core Priorities projects are alike, a successful application may include many of the following elements:

Impact

Present an innovative project idea rather than a request to continue an existing service
Pilot a novel approach that has the potential for replication or scalability
Propose a regional approach to addressing an issue
Contribute to advocacy or policy change

Collaboration

Include meaningful and well-articulated engagement of multiple community partners
Demonstrate clear understanding of relevant community context, needs, and assets
Leverage significant co-funding and/or in-kind support

Evaluation

Include a strong data collection and evaluation component
Engage a formal evaluation partner and/or utilize data analysis software
Articulate how and with whom evaluation outcomes will be shared

Sustainability

Outline a sustainability plan that demonstrates the project will be self-sustaining by the end of the grant period
Include an initial investment for start-up costs and minimal ongoing expenses
Build support for increased federal, state, insurer, and other investment with strong evaluative data
Develop external stakeholder capacity that fosters enhanced community engagement and sustainability of project

Core Priorities Funding

What do we look for?

Pallottine Foundation of Huntington, West Virginia