The Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas awarded a record-high 316 mini-grants to community projects throughout the state for 2019.
“Because of the many health needs in Arkansas, the Foundation received a record-breaking 60% increase in applications. We awarded 54% more grants this year to organizations in 130 different communities,” said Patrick O’Sullivan, executive director of the Blue & You Foundation.
This year, 242 (77%) mini-grants recipients were first-time recipients. Twenty-nine were from new cities. This brings the total number of Arkansas cities funded by the Foundation to 241.
“These $1,000 mini-grants are used to fund such things as automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and bleeding-control kits for use in public buildings, opioid overdose spray kits for first responders, exercise and healthy-eating programs and addressing food insecurity,” said O’Sullivan.
Items purchased this year include:
- 79 automated external defibrillators
- 54 Stop the Bleed kits
- 14 naloxone kits
Find more information on this year’s mini-grants (and all previous grants) on the foundation’s website: blueandyoufoundationarkansas.org.