Connecting opportunities for children, families, and communities to thrive

Central Iowa's success begins with our health and well-being.

Too often, policies and systems create barriers for people to access what they need to live healthy lives and fully contribute in our communities. Social and economic conditions especially influence a family's well-being and can have lasting, multi-generational impacts.

By working collaboratively to rethink our systems and targeting our attention and resources to underinvested areas, we can create equitable opportunities for people to thrive.

Mid-Iowa Health Foundation Logo Mark of an abstract gray tree, green tiled leaves and an abstract teal bird flying off of it

Our Approach

Mid-Iowa Health Foundation cultivates stakeholder engagement to address the social determinants of health. We connect a community-informed and data-driven understanding of health with new approaches and decision-making opportunities. We value working alongside our grantees to respond to emerging needs, share key learnings, elevate their successes, and inform future investments.

How We Work

Powerful Stories

Central Iowans are leading long-lasting changes in our systems and communities to support lifelong health and well-being. We are proud to partner in this work.

A Food is Medicine Approach to Health Care

An incentive program has provided a model for increasing access to nutritious foods and improving health outcomes.

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Cultivating the Soil for Culturally Responsive Health Care

How DMU is transforming the way health sciences education is delivered

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Zeroing in on Health Needs

A needs assessment of Oakridge Neighborhood residents is informing ways to improve health and well-being

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Doula Care Becomes Essential Health Care

An Iowa Doula Project is expanding community-based health care to improve Black maternal health outcomes.

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Improving Health through Community Advocacy

How AMOS engaged hundreds of advocates to push for a children's mental health crisis response system

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Media's Role in Improving Health

How support to Iowa Public Radio is building awareness of factors that influence well-being

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Latinx Project tells story of strength and opportunity

New report highlights central Iowa Latinos contributions and disparities and elevates Latinx leaders

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Improving Health through Social Supports

MercyOne's community health worker model improves outcomes for families.

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Re-Imagining How Iowa's Systems Work Together to Best Serve Families

The Vision Council has led conversations on how Iowa's families and children can be safe, secure, healthy, and well in our communities.

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Champions for Change: A Collective Commitment to Children's Health

Outcomes from Mid-Iowa Health Foundation's HealthConnect Fellowship, October 2019-June 2021

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Elevating the Latinx Community

How nonprofit leaders brought attention to the Latinx community and built new systems of support during the pandemic

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Central Iowa Youth Drive Change for Better Health

uVoice high school students commit to learning about and addressing issues, including vaping and racial justice, in central Iowa.

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The Dream Cube: Art for Social Impact

The Dream Cube, a monolithic structure constructed of pillows piled 8-feet high, popped up in downtown Des Moines late last fall. The provocative piece sparked conversations about the potential of our youth—if they have a safe place to dream.

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How Youth Are Driving Community Efforts to End Homelessness

dsm Magazine features a unique collaboration that is engaging youth who’ve experienced homelessness in identifying new solutions to address this issue in central Iowa.

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Protecting Those Who Protect Our Kids

Iowa ACEs 360 shares this story about how supervisors in the Polk County Dept. of Human Services’ Child Welfare Division are addressing trauma in their workforce.

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A New Approach to Supporting Youth in Juvenile Detention

Teenagers in jumpsuits lying on yoga mats, their eyes closed, their bodies still. This is the image Megan Hoxhalli describes as remarkable for juvenile detention, a place where youth arrive shaken, dysregulated, and scared about their future.

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Our Investments

We invest in ideas—and the people who drive them—to reimagine how our systems can surround children, youth, and families with nurturing relationships, safe and stable environments, and supportive communities.

What We FundGrant Priorities

Health Initiatives

HealthConnect Fellowship

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UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot

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Disaster Recovery Fund

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Healthy Homes Des Moines

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Homeless Youth Demonstration Program

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Iowa Alliance for Healthy Kids

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NAMI and DMU Partnership

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The Latinx Project

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Trauma-Informed Juvenile Detention

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Trauma-Informed Supervision

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HealthConnect Blog

Promoting the power of connections to inspire creative approaches for improving community health.

Prioritizing Advocacy: How a Nonprofit Created a Full-Time Role

Advocacy
Feb 1, 2023
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Meet the team leading UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot

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HealthConnect Fellows: Engaging authentically in systems change

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7 insights gained through a nonprofit merger

Foundation grants
Nov 17, 2022
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Six Elements to Consider with Community Conversations

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Community-Based Participatory Research: What to Know

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How student research informed the basic income project

Action planning
Sep 20, 2022
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How empathy is a part of systems-change work

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Making the Case: Communications Tactics that Work

Advocacy
Jul 26, 2022
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4 ways to measure system-change progress

System change
May 31, 2022
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Health disparities for Black pregnant Iowans: What you should know

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5 reasons why youth should lead systems-change work

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What we mean by 'system change'

System change
Apr 6, 2022
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4 insights from researching housing instability in central Iowa

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Iowa youth aging out of foster care: How are they doing?

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7 lessons learned from Sesame Street partnership

Foundation grants
Jan 31, 2022
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A closer look at mental health in schools during the pandemic

Community response
Nov 29, 2021
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Get to Know Dr. Nalo Johnson

Foundation news
Nov 24, 2021
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4 questions for nonprofit and community leaders

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5 questions for leaders in philanthropy

Funder practices
Nov 5, 2021
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