Nonprofit and Faith Based Partnership

The OHE is working to expand upon existing partnerships, as well as forging new ones, to address the needs of the most vulnerable communities throughout Pennsylvania. There are several initiatives underway and being prepared for implementation.

Commonwealth Faith-Based Coalition

Mission Statement: Harness the power of community trust in statewide faith-based organizations to address and mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19 and advance health equity in vulnerable populations.

Meetings are be held monthly. If you are a leader in your faith community or house of worship, we would love your voice at the table as we work together to bring health equity to all of Pennsylvania.

United Way LIVE Grant Promotion

Opportunity: The Wolf Administration and United Way of Pennsylvania launched the Local Innovations in Vaccine Equity in Pennsylvania project (LIVE PA) to administer $4 million in mini-grants to local organizations and $630,000 for faith-based organizations aimed to reduce vaccine hesitancy and ensuring an equitable vaccine distribution throughout the commonwealth. This money is available on a rolling basis until the end of June 2025.

Vaccine hesitancy is still prevalent across the commonwealth, yet vaccination is proven to be the most effective way to prevent severe disease and death. We want to work with you to help bring accessible vaccination directly to your community. Municipal entities, community-based organizations, and local nonprofit health centers are invited to submit innovation plans to request funding and, if needed, additional vaccine.

Vulnerable populations of priority focus include anyone experiencing vaccine hesitancy. Here are some of the ones we've identified: African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, people who are elderly and isolated, people who are experiencing homelessness, people who do not have access to technology, people in rural communities, or people with disabilities.

How to Apply: Visit the UWP Website and click "Apply for the Grant", then answer the Application Questions in 1500 characters or less. Any questions can be directed to info@uwp.org.

COVID-19 Resource Centers

Opportunity: The OHE is  working with local faith-based organizations and nonprofits across the state to serve as COVID-19 Resource Centers. The locations will serve as routine points of access for their local communities to receive up-to-date information about the virus in their county, masking recommendations, at-home test kits, as well as vaccines provided by a local clinical partner. This initiative aims to serve our vulnerable communities in a consistent manner, sustaining them through the ebbs and flows of COVID-19 outbreaks. With this type of access, we hope to achieve increased practice of recommended health behaviors that will decrease risk of infection, severe disease, and fatalities from COVID-19, as well as supply resources for a wide variety of other physical and mental health needs.

Rural Pennsylvania Outreach Partnership

Please see below a resource developed by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health for leaders and members of faith-based communities regarding mitigation of COVID-19:

Rural Pennsylvania COVID-19 Faith Toolkit

For more information about becoming a partner of OHE, contact Aubrey Juris at c-aujuris@pa.gov.