Other

Project Title

Building Healthy Communities Conference Scholarship

Grant Amount

$314

Priority Area

Other

Date Awarded

June 20, 2017

Region

Hudson Valley

Status

Closed

Website

http://nesawg.org/

A key goal of NYHealth’s Building Healthy Communities priority area is to create healthy communities that lead to more New Yorkers of all ages eating healthy foods, being physically active, and having access to a range of programs that encourage healthy life choices.

Many organizations across the State are doing smart, innovative work that is relevant to NYHealth’s work to improve health in New York neighborhoods. These organizations should be elevating their work and informing key stakeholders at conferences and other convenings in New York and nationally. Yet, because of a lack of resources, they are often unable to do so. To address this issue, NYHealth awarded grants through its Sponsoring Conference Participation in Support of Healthy Communities Request for Proposals (RFP). Through this RFP, NYHealth sponsored community-based organizations, health departments, and other low-resource organizations to attend and present at local, State, and national conferences related to building healthy communities. In 2017, NYHealth awarded the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG), through fiscal sponsor Tides Center, a grant to participate in this initiative.

With NYHealth funding, one staff member from NESAWG attended the Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture Annual Conference. The conference brings together representatives from state Departments of Agriculture from around the Northeast, agriculture organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. Conference attendees play an important role in supporting healthy communities by creating land use policies, tax incentives, and educational and marketing campaigns to encourage a local farming economy. At the conference, the NESAWG staff member networked with other sustainable food system organizations, helping to ensure that sustainable food system issues and initiatives (including the work of NESAWG network participants) are featured on the agenda for 2018.

View a complete list of conference participation grantees.