CLARKSVILLE, TN (Clarksville Now) – The Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation is a public benefit corporation that began its work and service in Clarksville-Montgomery County in 2006.
Rosalind Kurita is Executive Director of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation and said the mission of the nonprofit organization is really to focus on improving the health of our community.
“What we try to do is offer opportunities for members of our community to improve their own health. We focus on ways that people can exercise, can find a safe, free place to play outdoors,” Kurita said
The nonprofit also serves Fort Campbell, Kentucky and the five northern Tennessee counties surrounding Montgomery County. The foundation awards one-year grants to nonprofits, government entities and community partners.
Kurita said the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation funds the programs they support, adding they do not run any programs. “Every one of these programs is run by the person who applied for the grant, and they all have to be a 501-(c)(3),” Kurita said.
Kurita said they have a process and it’s very tailored, so that in the end, they know that a grant is really going to affect and improve the health of our community. “Since the foundation began its work, we have invested over $27 million dollars into our community,” Kurita said
Some of the initiatives the organization supports are health behaviors, clinical care access, social and economic factors, along with the built environment. That includes parks, greenways, recreational facilities and accessibility.
To name a just few successes the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation has supported with grants is the Rotary Field of Dreams at Civitan Park, the Clarksville Greenway Crossland Extension and Rotary Park Disc Golf Course.
Through their generous grants in the region, the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health foundation has also been behind many walking trails, storybook trails near schools, and playgrounds in parks along with outdoor exercise equipment and fitness areas.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation recently awarded the Austin Peay State University Foundation $106,481 in grant funding to support three critical health programs serving the university and the community.
To learn more about the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation visit communityhealthfoundation.org. To find out more about applying for a grant, email Grants Manager Whitney Crandall at Whitney@communityhealthfoundation.org.