Community investment programs

Community investment programs

Why we invest

Put simply, we work to ensure our health plan members and communities have access to the care and support they want and need. One way we do this is by providing grants and other types of impact funds to many of the clinical and community organizations that make up the health care system and social safety net in our region.

We support existing and emerging programs that are guided by evidence-based and/or best practices. Our local partnerships help advance our vision of building equitable and sustainable access to quality health care and community services.

How we invest

We look to the people who live and work in our communities to tell us what they need to be healthy. And we invest accordingly. We pay special attention to the voices of those who have historically faced the biggest barriers to care and opportunity.

In 2024, our Regional Community Advisory Council adopted our 2025-29 Regional Health Improvement Plan (RHIP), which will guide our work and investment decisions over the next five years. The plan’s priority areas are based on feedback from more than 1,300 residents of Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties. Learn more about the plan and its community-identified priority areas:

• Equitable food systems
• Healthy children and youth
• Housing and houselessness
  

Read on to learn about the different ways we invest in our communities, including:

• Large grants
• Community Wellness Investment Fund grants
• Supporting Health for all through REinvestment (SHARE) funds
• Health Related Social Needs (HRSN) Community Capacity Building Funds (CCBF)
• Sponsorships

Large Grant Program

Funding level: more than $25,000

Application window: We are not accepting proposals for this program in 2026.

Community Wellness Investment Fund (CWIF)

Funding level: up to $25,000

Application window: We are not accepting proposals for this program in 2026.

Supporting Health for All through REinvestment (SHARE)

Under the state’s SHARE Initiative, we invest a portion of our profits back into our communities to address health inequities and social factors affecting health (or social determinants of health). Our SHARE investments have traditionally focused on addressing the housing crisis in our region. Here are some of the local programs we’ve supported through SHARE funding:

• Community Action Team’s Healthy Homes program, which pays for home repairs that create healthier home environments.
• Clatsop County Public Health’s Risk Reduction program, which funds substance use disorder outreach and supplies to improve health outcomes.
• NW Regional Education Service District’s and United Way of Columbia County’s participation in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, which inspires a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five.
• Helping Hands Reentry Outreach Centers’ Transitional Housing program, which serves people experiencing houselessness. Services include emergency shelter, transitional housing and resources to help people build self-sufficiency.

Applications for SHARE funding are developed yearly in collaboration with our community partners and Community Advisory Councils. Interested in joining one of our Advisory Councils? Learn more: https://bit.ly/3CDn6Ja

Sponsorships

Funding level: $500 to $5,000

Application window: January through December 2026

To apply, send sponsorship requests to communitygivinggrants@careoregon.org. We sponsor regional events hosted by nonprofit community-based organizations that serve low-income residents of Clatsop, Columbia and/or Tillamook counties. Successful proposals will improve health training, awareness and/or outcomes related to our 2025-29 RHIP priority areas.