1. Are there eligibility requirements that must be met in order to apply for Health First Indiana funding?
Yes. The program must serve Lake County Indiana residents. Organizations must have a legal fiscal agent or will be ineligible (A fiscal agent is an entity that provides oversight and management of an organization). Additionally, the applicant must not be requesting funds to provide services or programs within East Chicago and Gary jurisdictions as they have received their own HFI funding for their communities and evidence-based needs.
2. What is the grant application process?
The first step of the application is to submit a proposal or letter of intent to LCHD where it is then reviewed by the project manager (PM) to determine if core public health services (CPHS) are met. If approved, the PM will send an application (it may also be downloaded from the LCHD website). Once application is received, LCHD attorney will incorporate application into a contract which will then begin contract negotiations between LCHD and applicant's legal department. The final application will be reviewed and approved by the Board of Health (BOH). Once approved by the BOH, the contract will be posted for bid to the public for (30) days. Last, after the 30 days, the LCHD will present the final contract to the Board of Commissioners for final approval before funds will be distributed.
3. Is there a limit on how much funding can be requested?
No, limits have not been placed at this time and this may change in subsequent years. This is a competitive grant, and we ask that applicants provide evidence-based programs that are most impactful to the community. LCHD may reach out to discuss alternate funding amounts in certain circumstances. The application requires a detailed budget request and LCHD requests that only funds needed specific to the program is requested.
4. Can funds be requested for Mental health education or programs?
Mental health funding was removed from HFI funding. Money was awarded to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) for programming for emergencies and various centers. Furthermore, Indiana Department of Health also provides funding for these programs as well. No monies were awarded to local health departments, specifically. However, this does not mean that a program may not be accepted for funding if it aligns closely with a CPHS or KPI.
5. Will my grant be renewed each cycle?
Further funding is not assured. If provided, it will depend on ongoing funding from HFI, compliance with required or requested KPIs as outlined with the LCHD, an evaluation of grant deliverable performance, and the completion of activities/reports.
6. Are there unallowable expenses?
Yes. There are restrictions and limitations to what HFI funds can be used for. Per the State of Indiana, you cannot fund personal items, services not related to core public health services, alcoholic beverages, duplicate payments and/or overpayments, capital expenses, scholarships, donations, state or federal lobbying or any political activity, food or beverages, any unallowable expenditure further determined by Indiana State Board of Accounts and Indiana State Law (This may not be an exhaustive list).
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