Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1526507
13 for multi-year awards over a 3- to 5-year period, contingent on satisfactory prog- ress. ese ideas evolved in what became e Health Foundation's two primary grantmaking avenues: the Activation Fund and the Healthcare and Health Promo- tion Synergy Initiative. It was expected that funding preference would be given to proposals "based on sound theory and/or best practice interventions; collaborative efforts; co-funded efforts; evaluation com- ponent; and plan for sustaining or institu- tionalizing successful projects." Seeking to define health broadly, e Health Foundation adopted the World Health Organization's definition of "health" as "the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Accepting this broad definition resulted from an intentional interest in using e Health Foundation's limited assets to achieve the greatest impact by addressing upstream socioeconomic factors that affect health, rather than focusing primarily on clinical interventions or health care delivery. In addition, the founding directors were intentional about not wanting to duplicate the efforts of existing funders in the area, such as the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the United Way of Cen- tral Massachusetts, to provide grants for general operating support and to address immediate and short-term needs. Instead, e Health Foundation sought to fill a gap in funding to address upstream social determinants of health in a deeper way, to help bring organizations to the next level of capacity and capability, to help pull together organizations with shared missions and objectives in such a way that the whole of their effort is greater than the sum of their individual activities, and to leverage its resources as a catalyst for positive change. Following many months of strategic planning, a special meeting was held at Mechanics Hall in Worcester on March 9, 2000 to introduce e Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts to the region. n Excerpt from summary notes from the Board of Directors planning session and retreat, November 12-13, 1999 Special Meeting Invite 2000