The Health Foundation of Central Mass

12 Initial Strategic Planning Around the time it was formally established in January 1999, The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts began to develop its preliminary grantmaking agenda and undertook strategic planning. The initial strategic planning process began in September 1999. The planning process was to include the review of information on: philanthropy in general and, more specifically, in the health conversion arena and in Central Massachusetts; health status in Central Massachusetts and its relationship to the Commonwealth and the nation; and best practice interventions, and the funding thereof, underway in the nation and in Central Massachusetts to improve health. Input and feedback were gathered from local organizations and nonprofit repre- sentatives to guide decisions regarding e Health Foundation's initial direction. External advisers were engaged to present information on the context of grantmak- ing in Massachusetts and on the health sta- tus of residents of Central Massachusetts. Dr. Denis J. Prager, a national expert in health philanthropy and author of Raising the Value of Philanthropy, was engaged to advise e Health Foundation through its strategic planning process. At the Board of Directors planning meeting and retreat in November 1999, it was noted that "Directors remain com- mitted to the concept of the Foundation playing a leadership role in protecting and improving the status of all residents of the Central Massachusetts communities it exists to serve." Early in the planning process, it was proposed that roughly 20% of e Health Foundation's annual grantmaking distribu- tions would support unsolicited proposals and 80% would support solicited proposals Applicants should keep in mind that The Health Foundation looks most favorably on projects that meet the "instead of providing fish, providing fishing rods" approach. - Excerpt from draft brochure describing grantmaking, 1999 Handwritten meeting notes from August 1999 Strategic Planning Memo 1999

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