Community Event Appearances and Support Funding

MetroHealth has been committed to caring for all in Greater Cleveland, inside and outside of our hospital walls, for almost 200 years.

We are proud to partner with organizations advancing the health and wellbeing of our communities in alignment with our mission and vision.  In addition to system community health programming, MetroHealth also supports initiatives, programs, and events through event appearances, partnerships, and funding to non-profit organizations throughout the year.

Event Participation Requests

MetroHealth participates in community events such as health fairs and festivals throughout Greater Cleveland in support of our partners connecting with community, advancing health equity, and addressing the social drivers of health.

MetroHealth may provide health information, employment information and access to services. We request a 60-day notice to attend an event.  We will consider events with shorter notice. Submitting a request does not guarantee MetroHealth will attend an event. For a variety of reasons, we may not be able to accommodate a request.

How to Request Community Event Participation

 

Funding or Sponsorship Requests

Events, programs, and initiatives must align with MetroHealth system priorities and goals to advance health equity and community engagement to be considered for funding.

MetroHealth will not support:

  • Individuals
  • Golf Tournaments
  • Religious Activities
  • Political officials, activities, or campaigns
  • Organizations without current 501(c) (3) tax exempt status.  Organizations may partner with an organization with 501(c) (3) status to act as a fiscal agent.

Each year MetroHealth receives more requests than funding availability. Application submission does not guarantee funding. Funding should be considered as limited opportunities and not anticipated to be available to support long-term sustainability.

In 2024, the average award was approximately $5000. The maximum amount of funding that may be requested in total per organization through this process is $15,000 per year. Organizations may submit multiple applications per year.

Organizations requesting more than $15,000 or interested in submitting a multi-year request may submit a funding inquiry for more information.  Awards greater than the cap and multi-year agreements are very limited.  Additional steps may include discussions, a site-visit (if applicable), and a written agreement.

If awarded, MetroHealth cannot guarantee funds will be received prior to a specific date. Payment processing may take up to 90 days once all required documentation is received.  Organizations must plan accordingly, apply well in advance and be prepared to carry the cost until payment is processed.

Please send inquiries about funding prior to applying. We will not engage in discussions regarding a specific funding request once an application is submitted and under consideration. Please check back to this webpage for updates on other funding opportunities.

Please send inquiries to [email protected].

 

Funding Criteria for Requests up to $15,000

Applications will be evaluated against the following criteria.

Mission Alignment

The mission of the organization requesting support and its proposed use of funds must align with MetroHealth’s mission and values.

Priority Areas

Request must relate to one or more priority areas and illustrate how MetroHealth’s investment advances the health and wellbeing of communities:

  1. Healthcare: Increase access to healthcare.
  2. Social Drivers of Health: Increase access to services and resources that address root causes of health disparities such as access to fresh and affordable food, safe and affordable housing, high quality education, workforce development, social and community connectedness, economic stability, and community conditions.
  3. Health Equity: Support efforts to address systemic inequities.

Priority Health Issues

Additional consideration will be given to events/initiatives/programs that align with MetroHealth’s system priorities and target populations with higher rates of poorer health outcomes.

Current priorities include mother/baby health, addiction and behavioral health, trauma and violence prevention, and youth development.

Robust Partnership

MetroHealth prioritizes opportunities that build long-term relationships with community organizations for sustainable change. There should be opportunities for a mutually beneficial partnership beyond a once-a-year event.

Organizations should consider opportunities to partner with the health system beyond funding opportunities. Where feasible, funded organizations may be requested to partner with relevant MetroHealth programming and activities.

Budget/Sponsorship Request

MetroHealth reviews the reasonableness of funding requests for alignment with mission and opportunities for engagement and recognition. Please be prepared to discuss how the funds will be used.  If the requests include funding for a program or initiative, please describe how the funding will create, expand and/or enhance services (e.g. numbers served, additional locations and/or hours).

Accountability

Organizations awarded funding must agree to provide an after event/initiative/project report detailing the use of funds and outcomes of the sponsored activities. MetroHealth will also review the history of funding and outcomes for a requesting organization.

We will review any potential conflicts of interests including MetroHealth staff who may serve on an organization’s board. Do not ask any MetroHealth staff to inquire or advocate for funding on an organization’s behalf.   Doing so may prohibit MetroHealth from providing any form of funding.

When applying please be prepared to list any MetroHealth staff who serve on the board.  We will also inquire if any federal elected or federal agency officials serves on the board. In addition, we will inquire if a sponsored event request is honoring any federal elected or federal agency officials.

Attachments

Prior to beginning the application, be prepared to attach the organization's W-9, sponsorship packages, and/or flyers.

Please check the IRS website at www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9 to ensure you have the latest version of the form by checking the date on the upper left-hand corner of the document.  If funding is awarded, MetroHealth cannot process payment on older versions of the form and payment will be delayed.

Review Cycle

We encourage early application submissions.  Sponsorship may be closed at any time when the budget is expended. Applications will be reviewed on the following cycle.

Application Period Open Application Period Closing Notification
December January 31 Rolling decision, at least 30 days after application submission
February 1 March 31 May
April 1 June 30 August
July 1 September 30 November

 

How to Request Funding

Community Sponsorship & Funding Application - Request funding up to $15,000 to support for a community event/initiative/program.

Multi-year and/or $15,000 funding inquiry form - Submit this form to inquire about funding greater than $15,000 and/or multi-year requests.

Questions

Please contact [email protected].