Mini-Grant

Community Health Improvement Workgroup Mini-Grant

Thank you for your interest in the mini-grant. The deadline for this year's application has passed. Stay tuned for news about our awardees. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates!

Are you working to address the health of Monroe County? The CHIW would like to help! The CHIW Mini-Grant process will support one or more small-scale local, city-wide, or county-wide ongoing or new initiatives for a total of $30,000. The CHIW is especially interested in projects that align with the 2025-2027 Monroe County Community Health Improvement Plan.

Mini-Grants are short - up to one-year duration.

Reporting requirements will not be burdensome; however, project leaders will report successes to the CHIW on a periodic basis both through brief written reports and by attending CHIW meetings quarterly.

Anyone is eligible to apply for and receive CHIW mini-grant funding, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and any other protected classes under current federal anti-discrimination policies. Projects involving all populations are considered.

2026 Awardees

Three awardees were recognized with mini-grants this year, each representing one of the Community Health Improvement Plan priority areas. 

Project: Bridges to Opportunity: Workforce Pathways for Newcomers and Migrants

Led by Enlace Services, Inc., under the direction of Irene Sanchez, this workforce initiative will support approximately 200 newcomers, migrants, and farmworker families across the Finger Lakes and Western New York. The program focuses on language development, job readiness, and employment connections to improve economic stability and reduce poverty among recently arrived and relocating populations.

Project: I Sankofa Rest Hub: Healing Spaces for Fathers and Families

FATHATORCH Inc., founded by Rashakim Hudson, will implement a year-long wellness initiative designed to reduce stress and anxiety among fathers and men in Monroe County. The program will provide culturally-grounded restorative spaces that support mental health, strengthen family relationships, and promote community stability, impacting approximately 40 fathers and their families.

Project: Nurturing the Nurturer: A Maternal Wellness and Mindfulness Series

Led by Celia McIntosh, DNP, RN, FNP-C, in partnership with the Rochester Black Nurses Association and Sankofa Counseling, this trauma-informed maternal wellness program will engage 20 to 24 postpartum mothers in under-resourced communities. The initiative includes group counseling, mindfulness, yoga, nutrition education, and peer support, with the goal of improving maternal mental health and reducing maternal mortality among high-risk women in Monroe County.

2025 Awardees

Two awardees, including Rochester Hope and Common Ground Health, were recognized with the mini-grant. 

Rochester Hope provides services to people in the inner city of Rochester, serving an average of 300 households per week. The growing organization used funding to cover costs associated with food, supplies, and overall support. Throughout the project period, Rochester Hope served approximately 400 households each week. In the last quarter of 2025, an average of 1,900 individuals per week received nourishing food through the pantry and community meal programs. Over the course of the year, more than 3,000 unique households were served, representing more than 15,000 individuals, including over 5,000 children.

Read more about their project, "Rochester Hope Food Pantry."

Wisdom Keepers, Wisdom Seekers, a Common Ground Health-Rochester RHIO initiative, included workshops designed to promote healthy life skills and health literacy among girls ages 9 to 12, while strengthening relationships with trusted adult female guardians.

The nine-month curriculum combined education, facilitated dialogue, and shared meals to support social, emotional, and behavioral well-being. Using a community-based approach, the project engaged 140 total participants across three Rochester City School District sites.

Read more about Wisdom Keepers, Wisdom Seekers.

2024 Awardee

In 2023, the CHIW awarded Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services (RRRS) with $15,000 as the mini-grant awardee. RRRS is a small community-based organization that helps New Americans become self-sufficient and successful community members. They own 85 homes in the Rochester area, and house more than 500 people. The goal of this project was to screen refugee children for behavioral health conditions through a CDC Mental Health screening, developed specifically for pediatric patients. Through this work, 206 refugee children were screened and connected to behavioral health services when indicated. 

2023 Awardees

The first round of CHIW mini-grantees are the Wellness Associates of Greater Rochester (WAGR) and Metro Council for Teen Potential (MCTP). WAGR promoted mental health and well-being through training key stakeholders in Mental Health First Aid—an internationally-recognized program designed to increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of mental illness and decrease negative stigmas associated with these conditions. Five courses were held, with 61 individuals attending full training and 45 becoming certified in Mental Health First Aid.

MCTP addressed disparities in maternal and child health through relaunching a media campaign that supported the reproductive justice and autonomy of young women and prevent unintended pregnancy in the City of Rochester. The campaign had 2 million impressions, and more than 7,500 visits to the website.