Kaiser
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco
2015 Grant Request for Proposals - LOI
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco – Community Benefit Program
2015 Grant RFP – LOI Instructions
I.
Introduction
For 70 years, Kaiser Permanente's social mission has been the foundation of its community service
programs. As a values-driven, not-for-profit, integrated health care organization, Kaiser Permanente is
dedicated to improving the health of its members and the communities it serves. Through partnerships
with community organizations and government entities, Kaiser Permanente strives to benefit the
community by addressing issues and concerns that affect overall community health through evidencebased strategies. These partnerships are built upon the sharing of knowledge and resources between
Kaiser Permanente and health-related community service organizations that share our focus on proven
effectiveness of services. Kaiser Permanente brings a variety of resources to these partnerships: cash
grants to support community activities, technical assistance, volunteers, and in-kind donations.
The Community Benefit Program of Kaiser Permanente San Francisco (KP-SF) is soliciting grants
through a two-part process. The first is a simplified proposal through a Letter of Intent (LOI) consisting of
a summary cover letter and 3-page form. These LOIs will be reviewed for fidelity to the solicitation
requirements and expectations, and a select number of applicants will be invited to submit online a full
grant proposal to be considered for funding. Nonprofit organizations and government agencies that are
capable of providing the requested services are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent as the first step
to seek grant support from KP-SF.
The grantmaking timeline is listed later in this document, but note these important dates:
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II.
Bidders’ Conference Call on Thursday, October 15 at 1pm,
LOI due by Friday, October 30 at 5pm.
Funding Priorities
For many years, Kaiser Permanente has conducted community health assessments with other local
hospitals to better understand each community’s unique needs and resources. The Affordable Care
Act now requires all non-profit hospitals to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
once every three years and adopt an Implementation Strategy to meet the community health needs
identified through the CHNA.
Each hospital’s Implementation Strategy addresses a smaller number of priority needs from the broader
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list identified as significant during the CHNA process. This allows us to maximize our ability to focus
resources and have a meaningful impact on these significant and complex health needs — and it allows
us to deepen the strong relationships we have with other organizations that are working to improve
community health. These priorities provide the basis for the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco
Community Benefit Program and guide the distribution of grants and contributions to the community.
For information about Kaiser Permanente’s 2013 CHNA process and for a copy of the report for any KP
hospital in Northern California, please visit: http://share.kaiserpermanente.org/article/community-healthneeds-assessments- 3/ .
Based on that CHNA process in San Francisco, KP-SF identified the following priority needs for 20142016:
1. Increase Access to High Quality Health Care and Services
2. Increase Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL)
3. Ensure Safe and Healthy Living Environments
For 2016, the last year of the current Implementation Strategy, KP-SF is offering grant funding ranging
from $10,000 to $50,000 for one-year projects from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017. Because we are
targeting grant support for very specific activities and outcomes, we suggest you first review the
categories and requirements to determine if your organization has the desire or capacity to provide the
requested services in the targeted locations.
III.
2015 Grant Solicitation Categories
These are not general operating grants. KP-SF is requesting interest among service providers to
implement four distinct types of activities that directly link with our Community Benefit Plan. Each
organization may submit an LOI for only one of these grant categories. Applicants will be evaluated
based on fidelity to the stated objective, focus, and expected outcomes. Indicators listed are suggested
tracking measures to achieve the expected outcomes.
1. Access to Care -- Chronic Disease Management
a. Objective: Improve access to culturally competent care and appropriate utilization of services
by providing support to individuals managing their chronic disease through evidence-based
practices coordinated with medical care.
b. Focus: Individuals with chronic diseases -- including diabetes, HIV, hypertension, asthma,
depression, etc. -- occurring with significant health disparities in SF populations. For
example, DPH received a Healthy Hearts grant from the CDC because “80% of the city’s
most serious heart disease is concentrated among some 23,500 low income African
American and Latino residents in 20 census tracts.” For the most current data about health
disparities in SF, see www.sfhip.org or www.chna.org/kp.
c. Expected Outcomes: Individuals are engaged in a structured program of services
coordinated with primary care that supports their efforts to maintain or improve their health.
d. Indicators: Individuals learn effective self-management, and health status indicators are
maintained or improved.
2. HEAL -- Healthy Eating – Plant-based nutrition
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a. Objective: Teach and encourage adoption of healthier eating behaviors focusing on whole,
plant-based foods.
b. Focus: Individuals with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity.
i. For adults, “healthy eating may best be achieved with a plant-based diet, defined as a
regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy
products and eggs as well as refined and processed foods.” This is an evidencebased strategy studied by Kaiser Permanente with strong results: “Research shows
that plant-based diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower BMI,
blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels in adults.” Applicants in this category
serving adults must use this evidence-based strategy, and Kaiser Permanente can
share our own plant-based nutrition educational materials with grantees.
ii. For children and teens, healthy eating should focus on consuming more fruits,
vegetables and plant-based foods and less processed foods, but not eliminating
meats and dairy. Adhering to a strict plant-based diet is not recommended for children
because many children are already at risk for anemia, and low-income families in
resource-poor areas have difficulty acquiring balanced iron sources. Many of these
children must rely on what’s provided through school lunches or WIC selections. Also,
teens can mask eating disorders with fad diets, saying they “want to be vegan
because it’s healthier.”
c. Expected Outcomes: Individuals are engaged in learning about, sampling, and adopting
plant-based food choices.
d. Indicators: Individuals’ diet choices change to healthier plant-based foods; organizational
policies and practices encourage healthy food and beverage choices.
3. HEAL -- Active Living
a. Objective: Provide opportunities for regular physical activity and encourage children, adults,
and seniors to adopt a more active lifestyle.
b. Focus: Individuals in populations with high disparity rates for obesity and overweight.
c. Expected Outcomes: Individuals are more active with recommended amounts of daily
exercise.
d. Indicators: Increased time devoted to weekly physical activity; for youth - increased CDE
FitnessGram test scores; for seniors - increased strength and endurance, and reduced falls.
4. Safe & Healthy Environments -- Prevent Intentional Injuries
a. Objective: Reduce deliberate behaviors that can result in injury to children and teens.
b. Focus: Intentional injuries include self-inflicted and interpersonal acts of physical or emotional
violence intended to cause harm. Targeted behaviors include bullying, fights, child abuse,
domestic and dating violence, suicide attempts, and other deliberate actions that can result in
injury and trauma. Research shows the social and economic factors for youth violence
correspond to the risk factors for domestic violence and child abuse.
c. Expected Outcomes: Target behaviors are reduced, and children learn how to have healthy
relationships and how to avoid or cope with persons or situations that can lead to injuries.
d. Indicators: Individuals learn effective communication and conflict resolution skills; incidents
that can lead to injury are reduced.
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IV.
Eligibility Criteria
Kaiser Permanente has national compliance standards for all grants to community-based organizations.
Funds must be used to serve vulnerable, low income populations of this Kaiser Permanente service
area, which is the City and County of San Francisco.
To be eligible for a grant, an applicant organization (or its fiscal agent) must have operations in San
Francisco, and be one of the following types of nonprofit organizations defined by the IRS: 501(c)(3)
charitable organization, or 501(c)3 organization with 509(a) designation as a non-private foundation, or
designation as 501(c)(19), 501(k), 501(c)(8), or 501 (c)(10) if used solely for charitable purposes and
serving the general community. Also eligible are public schools or public entities, including a local, state
or federal government agency.
Kaiser Permanente will not consider funding requests from individuals, international, social or fraternal
organizations, or for the following types of activities: religious or partisan political activities, athletic or
sports teams, endowments or memorials, field trips or tours.
Kaiser Permanente has an unwavering commitment to equal access and opportunity for all persons.
Organizations receiving funding must provide attestation that they do not discriminate on the basis of
race, color, religious creed, national origin, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity,
handicap, disability, medical condition or veteran status in their programs, services, policies, hiring
practices and administration.
Current and past grantees are eligible to apply.
V.
Requirements
Kaiser Permanente’s Community Benefit grants target services to vulnerable, low income populations.
This year, the population to be served is further refined to target specific low income neighborhoods.
1. Target Population –Because the most recent health data indicate significant health disparities
still exist among sub-groups of the San Francisco population, this grant solicitation will focus on
services to residents of specific neighborhoods and populations with health disparities.
These neighborhoods are in the central and southern sections of the city in parts of zip codes
94102, 94103 (Tenderloin, Central City) 95115, 94117 (Western Addition), 94110 (Mission),
94124 (Bayview, Hunters Point), 94134 (Sunnydale, Visitacion Valley), 94112 (Crocker Amazon,
Ingleside, Oceanview, Excelsior). Proposals that do not serve residents of these areas will not be
considered for funding.
Kaiser Permanente expects grantees to improve community health through attention to the same
standards that characterize our work. Therefore, all proposed services will be screened for adherence to
these elements of success:
2. Evidence-based strategies -- External evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed strategy
(best practice, research study, etc.) must be submitted with the full proposal, and the elements
that make the strategy successful must translate to the workplan and link to the expected
outcome.
3. Measurement of impact – These grant activities are expected to have a direct impact on
individuals (“expected outcome”). The effect of the proposed strategy must be measured for the
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persons served and compared to baseline data. Changes in behavior, attitude, knowledge,
health status, etc. must be tracked and reported.
4. Collaboration – Applicants must confirm a practical, working relationship with other providers
who serve the same clients/target population.
Grant awards are contingent on the applicants’ acceptance of the grant terms, which include:
5. Reports – Mid-year and year-end progress reports are required using the approved grant
Workplan and Budget documents with notations about activities, accomplishments and spending
to date. Since the grant period will be April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017, mid-year reports are due
by October 15, 2016, and year-end reports are due by April 15, 2017.
6. Acknowledging Kaiser Permanente -- Recognizing the mutual benefit in acknowledging our
partnership, we expect grantees to provide recognition of Kaiser Permanente's support for your
agency by listing Kaiser Permanente at the appropriate level among the major sponsors of your
largest annual fundraising event during 2016.
7. Organizational Wellness Policy – This year, grantees will be required to develop a worksite
wellness policy for staff and clients that assures, at a minimum, that no sugar-sweetened
beverages are served, and ideally addresses healthy food and beverages and physical activity.
The Bay Area Nutrition and Physical Activity Collaborative (BANPAC) is available to work with all
Kaiser Permanente grantees to develop worksite wellness policies.
VI.
Grantmaking Principles
We know there will be many worthy applicants seeking grant support, but Kaiser Permanente intends to
fund only exceptional proposals from direct-service, community-based organizations that have chosen a
proven intervention to assure an impact on the persons served.
Kaiser Permanente values innovation in health care based on proven research, and this RFP is meant to
encourage community-based organizations to innovate -- by taking a new look at what you are doing,
reviewing the literature for proven strategies, searching for best practices, and finding a more successful
way to accomplish your mission and achieve the expected outcomes of this RFP. Kaiser Permanente
grant funding can provide support within an existing program to launch a new, pilot effort that is based on
proven success elsewhere.
Whether you are seeking support for current efforts or a new strategy, the evidence that the chosen
strategy is successful must be from an external source (such as published research, best practice
description, formal program evaluation, etc.). This does not include government contract monitoring
reports or internal client satisfaction surveys. The evidence of effectiveness must be directly related to
the activities proposed, and applicants will be asked to describe the evidence and its source.
Reviewers of the LOIs, and later, the full proposals will include physicians, clinicians, managers, and staff
from throughout Kaiser Permanente’s San Francisco Medical Center who will evaluate the proposed
services based these 8 criteria:
1. Organization is strong and credible
2. Project serves a clear need of the target population
3. Project is aligned with our Community Benefit Plan
4. Project is evidence-based
5. Project is innovative
6. Program Objectives are realistic, measurable and relevant
7. Project evaluation tracks the impact on individuals
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8. Funding requested is reasonable and directly related to proposed activities
The grants chosen for funding will most strongly demonstrate the following:
 Clearly identify the health need to be addressed, the target population, and the service provided, and
make a strong, evidence-based case for the strategy chosen to achieve the outcomes.
 Demonstrate the ability to establish baseline data, track services, and measure their impact on
individuals through appropriate evaluation measures.
 Present a reasonable budget for the proposed project that reflects actual direct costs of providing the
service, showing total costs and the KP-requested funding. (Budget detail will be requested if chosen
to submit a full proposal.)
 Provide a short-term investment with a long-term benefit, and the ability to sustain the project is not
dependent on future Kaiser Permanente funding.
VII.
Grantmaking Timeline
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Thursday, October 15, at 1:00 pm
Friday, October 30, by 5:00 pm
Monday, November 30, 2015
Friday, January 8, 2016, by 5:00 pm
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
October 15, 2016
April 15, 2017
VIII.
Request for Proposals announced
Bidders Conference Call
Call 888-240-3210 Access Code 647 3622
Letter of Intent due
Invitations to submit full proposals will be sent
to a select list
Full proposals due by online submission
Award notifications sent to selected grantees
Funded services begin
Mid-year Progress Report due
Final Progress Report due
Instructions for the Letter of Intent (LOI)
A one-page cover letter on the organization’s letterhead signed by the executive director must
accompany the 2015 Grant LOI Form, summarizing the proposed grant and stating the intent of the
organization to implement the proposed activities if chosen for funding. If you are using a fiscal agent, an
additional one-page letter on that organization’s letterhead must be signed by the executive director and
state that organization’s intent to act as a fiscal agent for the applicant.
2015 Grant LOI Form:
Applicants must fill out the LOI form completely, expanding or reducing text boxes as necessary, but the
whole form cannot exceed 4 pages. Keep the type size formatted for each answer. Your answers to
the questions should be specific but concise, and will be the basis for a more expansive explanation if
you are chosen for a full proposal.
I.
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Organization and Program
If your organization is not a 501(c)3 charity, but you have one of the other IRS designations listed
in the Eligibility section, state your designation. If chosen for a full proposal, you will submit your
IRS designation letter with tax ID number.
If you are using a fiscal agent, state that organization’s name, and submit an additional cover
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letter from the fiscal agent’s Executive Director.
For the purposes of this RFP, the “Organization” is the name of your nonprofit or government
agency. The “Program” is the name for the organized set of services, activities and interventions
designed to achieve an outcome, where the proposed grant-funded services (“Project”) will take
place. If the applicant is a small or focused organization with only one program, the organization
and program listed will be the same.
Provide the name, title, phone number and email address of the Program Director or the person
most familiar with the program services and the proposed strategies.
II.
Grant Categories
 Each applicant organization may only choose only one grant category. If you choose more
than one, your application will not be considered.
 Choose carefully after reading the Instructions and understanding the objectives, focus, expected
outcomes, and indicators. Note that services must be provided to low income populations in
certain neighborhoods.
 This RFP designates the evidence-based strategy for #2. Healthy Eating for adults: plant-based
nutrition. For #2 Healthy Eating for children, and the other categories, the applicant will propose
the evidence-based strategy.
III.
Information about Funding and Kaiser Permanente Support
 For the purposes of this RFP, the expenses and unduplicated clients for this requested Grant are
nested in a Program within the Organization. List the annual expenses for the Organization,
Program, and Requested Grant, and do the same for the annual number of unduplicated clients
(UDC) served by the Organization, Program, and Requested Grant. The range of grants to be
funded is $10,000 to $50,000 and KP-SF may offer less than the grant amount requested, in
which case the UDC and activities may be reduced proportionally.
 The cost per UDC is calculated by dividing the total expenses by the number of UDC – state this
cost as $xx.xx for the Program and Requested Grant (but not for the total Organization). The
Requested Grant column is formatted to be in bold and in larger type.
 List all funding from Kaiser Permanente in the last 5 calendar years (since 2011), and note
whether it was a grant, sponsorship or donation, and who or what KP division provided the
funding.
 List the name and title of any Kaiser Permanente physician or employee who is a member of your
governing board.
 List the organization’s top 5 funding sources (including government contracts), noting the source
and type of funding (service contract, grant, donation, etc.), and the percentage of total revenue
for each source listed.
IV.
Program/Project Information
 Name your grant-funded project and provide a short description (maximum 25 words). These will
be used in the lists of applicants for reviewers and should be carefully crafted to highlight what
you propose to do with KP funding.
 Describe the health problem to be addressed and the specific target population and
neighborhoods to be served by the requested grant, and if different, by the wider program.
 Briefly describe the organized set of services, activities and interventions that characterize the
program that will house the proposed project. Later, you will be asked to describe the step-bystep experience of a typical client of your program.
 We will request a detailed budget if you are chosen for a full proposal. For this LOI, describe the
types of positions, operating costs and other line items to be funded by the grant, with
justifications if the costs are not obviously connected to the activities. Specifically note funding for
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consultants (for what), client activities or stipends. Administrative costs can be included in the
total amount up to 12% of the direct costs.
V.
Evidence-Based Strategy
 The proposed intervention strategy is the specific set of activities and practices that evidence
shows will be effective in achieving the expected outcomes for this proposed grant.
 The strategy or strategies you describe must be congruent with the evidence that this approach is
effective. Describe the external evidence, what type of study it is, who did it, and where you
found it. You are not being asked to submit the external evidence with this LOI, but you may be,
if you are chosen to submit a full proposal.
VI.
Outcomes and Evaluation
 State your expected outcome(s) by the end of this grant period, and include the number of
persons served and the specific, measurable impact or change that will occur as the result of your
intervention.
 Evaluation of this change is essential to determine effectiveness of your efforts. Describe the
evaluation methods, and how you will identify and track the impact.
VII.
Program Experience
 Describe the program of services you provide from the perspective of a typical or average client –
how do they learn about and enter your program, who interacts with them, what do they do in
your program, how often and with what results, and how long do they stay engaged with your
program.
 Evidence of collaboration with other service providers for your client population is required. You
are not being asked to submit evidence with this LOI, but you may be, if chosen for a full
proposal. Describe agreements and communications with other organizations about your clients,
and how these working agreements are implemented and evaluated.
IX:
Submission Instructions
Kaiser Permanente San Francisco will accept Letters of Intent by email only, up to 5:00 pm on Friday,
October 30, 2015.
Send your email to: Nancy.Leung@kp.org with this subject line: LOI – (your agency name)
and attach only the 2015 Grant LOI Form, your cover letter (and the fiscal agent’s cover letter if
necessary).
Any submissions after the deadline will not be considered.
X: Questions
The Bidder’s Conference Call on October 15, 2015 will provide the best opportunity to ask questions and
get clarifications about the grant categories and the application process for this RFP. After that
conference call, potential applicants can also call or email RFP questions to:
Jim Illig, Community Benefit Manager
415-833-9504 (note new number)
James.M.Illig@kp.org.
Thank you for all the work that you do to improve our community’s health!
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