Lemoyne, PA – The United Way of Pennsylvania is administering a grant program to help nonprofit and faith-based organizations connect hard-to reach populations statewide with COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters and vaccines for children. The Local Innovations in Vaccine Equity in Pennsylvania project (LIVE PA) is a partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Health reduce vaccine hesitancy and ensuring an equitable vaccine distribution throughout the commonwealth. A total of $4.63 million is available, including $630,000 for faith- based organizations.
“This grant is designed to help bring the financial resources to support small nonprofits, churches, other community and neighborhood organizations with the relationship power to increase equitable vaccine distribution,” said Kristen Rotz, President of United Way of Pennsylvania.
With a reimbursement rate of $10 per shot achieved, including boosters, the grants are designed initially to range from $400 to $40,000 per vaccination event. Organizations will also be funded $10 per direct person to person outreach leading up to a vaccination or booster event targeting hard to reach communities. The grant requires that the organizations involved promote the events using traditional and digital media to help fight vaccine hesitancy.
Events should be designed to reach the vulnerable populations a nonprofit or faith-based organization serves and can range from neighborhood block parties to door-to-door vaccine distribution or anything in-between. Vulnerable populations include, but are not limited to, African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, people who are elderly and isolated, people who are experiencing homelessness, and people who do not have access to technology. United Way can help community organizations find a certified vaccine partner.
LIVE PA is a collaboration between the Wolf Administration’s Office of Advocacy and Reform and the Departments of Health and Human Services, working closely with the United Way of Pennsylvania to fund hyper-local, grassroots nonprofit organizations to partner with certified vaccine providers to help the populations they serve overcome barriers to vaccination.
The grant application is available at https://www.uwp.org/programs/live-grant/.
About United Way of Pennsylvania (UWP)
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. In 2020, United Ways in Pennsylvania raised nearly $170 million for local communities. It is a membership organization whose mission is to
UWP engages and connects local United Ways with resources that will help them address their community needs. UWP serves as the voice for 44 member United Ways across the commonwealth on state public policy issues that relate to community impact work in education, income and health.