FY24 Medical Assistance Grants Overview 

Priority: Additional opportunities that fall outside of Vitalyst’s priorities 

Goal: Strong Community Partners equipped to advance health equity. 

Objective

Administer donor-directed funds of Vitalyst to support direct-service organizations in specific fields for populations living in poverty in Maricopa County. 

Activities

Invest in direct service for vision, hearing, heart/lung, and substance use through Medical Assistance Grants. 

Vitalyst Health Foundation was created when the St. Luke’s Hospital System was sold in 1995. In keeping with the hospital’s long tradition of charity care, restricted funds for Medical Assistance Grants were transferred to Vitalyst with the sale of the hospital system. 

Every three years, Vitalyst requests proposals from nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organizations that provide services, treatment, and programs in the areas of hearing, vision, substance use disorder, and heart and lung that leverage existing resources and maximize community benefit. 

Medical Assistance Grants are designed to improve access to this type of healthcare and improve the quality of care through direct services for low-income and underserved populations in Maricopa County. 

Funds must be used for services such as screening training, surgeries, program development related to direct services, and client-related equipment such as assistive devices and adaptive equipment.  

Key Criteria

• • Nonprofit or fiscally sponsored organizations 
  • Directly serving low-income or underserved individuals, measured by: 

• • Enrollment in a government assistance program (SNAP, AHCCCS, CHIP, etc.) or 
  • Annual household income less than 250% of federal poverty guidelines, iin 2023 for Arizona set as $45,525 for an individual or $93,750 for a family of four (https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines); and 

• • Focused on supporting residents experiencing the greatest disparities in health including, but not limited to those with limited financial means, communities of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and rural communities. 

• • Services provided to individuals residing in Maricopa County 
  • Maintenance of a log recording direct services provided to individuals 
  • Submission of a mid-year and annual report documenting individuals served 

Hearing: up to $150,000 per year for three years (approximately $330,000 total available) 

Funds are for direct services (such as screening, training, surgeries), program development related to direct services, and client related equipment (such as regular and specialty aids, assistive devices and adaptive equipment).

Vision: up to $150,000 per year for three years (approximately $300,000 total available) 

Funds are for direct services (such as screening, training, surgeries), program development related to direct services, and client related equipment (such as regular and specialty glasses, assistive devices and adaptive equipment).

Heart and Lung: up to $50,000 per year for three years (approximately $100,000 total available) 

Funds are for direct services and programs that prevent and decrease the incidence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Substance Use Disorder: up to $25,000 per year for three years (approximately $25,000 total available) 

Funds are for direct services and programs that address substance use including treatment, rehabilitation, and addiction prevention.

Process: 

Vitalyst requests proposals from nonprofits or fiscally sponsored organizations that provide services, treatment, and programs in the areas of hearing, vision, substance use disorder, and heart and lung that leverage existing resources and maximize community benefit. 

Proposals are due by 5:00pm (MST-AZ) on Friday, March 24, 2023 – link will be added after January 20th. Awards are announced on Friday, June 23, 2023. The grant period is July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026. 

Proposals should be no more than four pages and include: 

• Legal name and address of the organization  
• Proposal narrative including:  

• Direct Service: a description of the medical assistance to be provided relating to hearing, vision, substance use disorder, or heart and lung (e.g., direct services such as screening training, surgeries, program development related to direct services, and client-related equipment such as assistive devices and adaptive equipment). 
• Population(s) Served: the population of focus and geographic region to be served, including the number of individuals expected to be served or impacted by the service. 

• Budget narrative including requested grant amount (a separate budget may be sent, but is not included in page count) 
• Documentation of tax-exempt status (W9 and IRS Determination Letter, not included in page count) 

More information about Medical Assistance Grants can be found at http://vitalysthealth.org/grants/. 

Resources and FAQs

Note: The Medical Assistance Grants Cycle is now closed and will reopen in 2026. Recipients will be announced in June 2023. 

• Watch the recording of the Information Session
• Review the slide deck from the Information Session 
• Review the Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to submit a proposal? Apply Here

For instructions on how to apply, review the Frequently Asked Questions linked above..