Stratis Health has announced that it will award 55,000 in grants for its annual Building Healthier Communities awards.

Known for building capability across settings and services to accelerate improvement, demonstrate value, and further a safe and patient-centered health system, the Stratis Health Building Healthier Communities Awards are small grants that catalyze collaboration and innovation to nurture health care quality in Minnesota.

“These awards are more than recognition – they are a celebration of compassion, dedication, and the powerful impact of those working to uplift others,” said Jennifer Lundblad, President and CEO. “We are truly honored to stand beside organizations that are not just improving health but transforming lives and strengthening communities, which is more important now than ever. Their work brings us all closer to a future where everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, has the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive and equitable health system.”

2025 Building Healthier Communities Award Recipients

Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul – Department of Indian Work
Award: $20,000
Program: Family Education Diabetes Series
The Family Education Diabetes Series (FEDS) program engages low-income, urban-dwelling American Indians with diabetes and their families in active education and fellowship forums. It also supports active monitoring of weight/BMI (Body Mass Index), blood pressure, and blood sugar. The Department of Indian Work provides a safe, Indigenous space to empower American Indians towards self-determination while respecting cultural and spiritual diversity. In Minnesota, American Indian adults have the highest rate of age-adjusted diabetes (19.3%).

Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative
Award: $10,000
Program: Linking Identification & Navigation for Perinatal Mental Health & Substance Use Care (LINK) Initiative
The Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MNPQC) improves pregnancy care for families before, during, and after birth, improving health care inequities while facilitating communication statewide. The Linking Identification & Navigation for Perinatal Mental Health & Substance Use Care (LINK) Initiative highlights mental health and perinatal substance use disorders as significant contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality in Minnesota. The program aims to enhance perinatal care by improving identification and referrals for treatment, managing perinatal disorders, reducing infants’ hospital stays from opioid exposure, and promoting collaboration among hospital teams.

Neighborhood House
Award: $10,000
Program: Listening Sessions for the Montreal Avenue Location
Neighborhood House has been and continues to be a welcoming presence for thousands of refugees, immigrants, and others in transition or crisis. The organization is a full-service hub for those seeking assistance with basic needs, from food to housing, and it helps create future opportunities through family coaching and education programming. A series of year-long listening sessions for the community in St. Paul surrounding the new Neighborhood House located on Montreal Avenue will enable the organization to better meet needs and offer a more dignified experience as they design comprehensive services in and with primarily Karen and Eritrean communities.

Special Olympics Minnesota
Award: $15,000
Program: Health Screenings for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Special Olympics is tackling the inactivity, stigma, isolation, and injustice that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) face. Through free health screenings, they train future health care providers to provide the best health care for individuals with IDs. Individuals with an ID die an average of 16 years earlier than the general population, not due to their ID but due to inadequate health care access and services. This program helps the health care system to be more welcoming and inclusive to those with ID, addressing gaps in education and training for health professionals.

Stratis Health is a nonprofit organization that leads collaboration and innovation in health care quality and safety and serves as a trusted expert in facilitating improvement for people and communities. Since the program’s inception in 2007, the organization has awarded over 60 Building Healthier Communities grants totaling more than $900,000.