The application period is now closed for 2023. Please visit The Cigna Group Foundation page for updates on upcoming grant opportunities.
The Cigna Group Foundation is committed to eliminating health disparities and improving health and well-being for all. We wish to partner with nonprofits who are addressing the root causes of health inequity, including supporting under-resourced and systemically disadvantaged communities with poor social determinants of health (SDOH).1
Given recent incidents here in the U.S. and around the world, the persistence of COVID-19 and the economic climate, this grant cycle will focus on funding programs that address improving and ensuring good mental health.
According to research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry, individuals with mental disorders have a reduced life expectancy of approximately 10 to 20 years. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that individuals with depression have a 1.8 times higher risk of premature mortality.2,3 Depression also increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness.4 Unfortunately, these challenges are compounded by an overall shortage of mental health professionals.
Here are some important statistics about mental health in the U.S.
Mental health issues are even more pronounced in ethnic minority communities. Ethnic, gender, sexual orientation minorities, veterans and rural populations often suffer from poor mental health outcomes. Such outcomes include the examples below:
These poor mental outcomes are due to multiple factors including inaccessibility of high quality mental health care services, cultural stigma surrounding mental health care, discrimination, and overall lack of awareness about mental health.12
Despite steady improvement in overall health outcomes over the past decade, many under-resourced communities continue to experience substantial health disparities.
The Cigna Group Foundation recognizes that this is a broad topic, therefore grants should address at least one if not more than one of the following programmatic areas, specifically in ethnic minority and underserved populations:
To be considered, applicants must:
Proposals received by the deadline of September 19, 2023 by 5 pm ET will be evaluated on all of the following criteria:
1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, https://health.gov/healthypeople, accessed January 23, 2023.
2 JAMA Network, ‘Association of History of Psychopathology With Accelerated Aging at Midlife,’ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2776612, accessed Aug 2022
3 The Recovery Village, ‘Poor Mental Health's Devastating Impacts on Life Expectancy — And How Treatment Can Help,’ https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/mental-health-impact-on-life-expectancy/, accessed Aug. 2022
4 National Institute of Mental Health, ‘Chronic Illness and Mental Health: Recognizing and Treating Depression,’ https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/chronic-illness-mental-health, accessed Aug. 2022
5 The State of Mental Health in 2022, First Stop Health, May 2, 2022
6 Health Resources and Services Administration, Shortage Areas, https://data.hrsa.gov/topics/health-workforce/shortage-areas, accessed Aug. 2022
7 Mental and Behavioral Health – Black/African American, https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/, accessed Aug. 2022
8 Mental and Behavioral Health – Asian American, https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/, accessed Aug. 2022
9 Huffpost, ‘Native American Youth Suicide Rates Are At Crisis Levels,' https://www.huffpost.com/entry/native-american-youth-suicide-rates-are-at-crisis-levels_n_560c3084e4b0768127005591, accessed Aug. 2022
10 Office on Women’s Health, Mental health condition, https://www.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions, accessed Aug. 2022
11 American Psychiatric Association, https://www.psychiatry.org/File%20Library/Psychiatrists/Cultural-Competency/Mental-Health-Disparities/Mental-Health-Facts-for-LGBTQ.pdf, 2017
12 American Psychiatric Association, ‘Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations,’ https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/cultural-competency/education/mental-health-facts, accessed Aug. 2022
© 2023 The Cigna Group