BCBSM Foundation: Help and FAQs

How to apply for a grant

Guidance on what steps to take to apply for each type of grant program

Before developing and submitting a concept paper, please review specific grant program eligibility requirements and grant guidelines on the grant detail pages. The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation responds only to concept paper inquiries for the Community Health Matching Grant Program, Investigator Initiated Research Program, and Physician Investigator Research Award Program, and doesn't review unsolicited proposals for these three programs.

Due to the volume of concept papers that we receive, we are unable to accommodate pre-concept paper meetings. We suggest that you review our website, annual reports, funding priorities and previously funded programs. Priority will be given to concept papers that align with the Foundation’s areas of focus, which include: 

  • Health literacy and numeracy
  • Senior health and caregiver support
  • Nutrition and food access
  • Improving access and quality of health care
  • Behavioral health and substance use disorders
  • Maternal and child health
  • Non-medical drivers of health
  • Health promotion and disease prevention

A concept paper is required for the Community Health Matching Grant Program, Investigator Initiated Research Program and Physician Investigator Research Award Program. Please don't submit a formal proposal to those programs unless the BCBSM Foundation requests one.

No. For the Community Health Matching Grant Program, organizations are only allowed to submit one concept paper per grant cycle. For the Investigator Initiated and Physician Initiated Research Award Programs, principal investigators and physicians are only allowed to submit one proposal per grant cycle.  

Yes. Please visit our grants page to review grant application timelines for each of our grant award programs. 

No. Applicants are only allowed to have one open grant award with the BCBSM Foundation. 

Yes. Please note that we will not award specific projects and programs that we have previously funded.

Applicants will be notified within six weeks of each grant schedule’s concept paper deadline. 

The BCBSM Foundation receives a high volume of well-qualified and competitive concept papers. On average, we invite approximately 20 percent of concept papers to submit a full proposal. 

Please visit the proposal requirements section of the grant award program you are applying to for all required documentation. 

On average, the BCBSM Foundation ends up funding 10 percent of applications that are submitted in each grant cycle. 

The contact person listed on the grant will receive an email within 10 days after the application review dates listed on the specific grant program pages.

Please visit our Community Impact page for more information on our most recent grant awards and programs. 

As part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Community Relations Division, we work closely with our colleagues in Social Mission and Community Responsibility. Please visit their webpages for more information. 

Grant budget

Guidance on the financial component of grant funding

The Foundation doesn't pay indirect costs with the exception of limited fringe benefits. The allowable fringe benefit expense may not exceed the lesser of 25 percent of the salary subtotal figure or the actual cost of the fringe benefits.

Fringe benefits include health, personal and/or medical benefits. Unless otherwise noted in the grant program description, the Foundation does fund general operating or administrative requests.  

The Foundation does not pay for:

  • Capital expenses
  • Facility rentals
  • Computer equipment, including hardware and software
  • Ongoing food costs, unless they are directly related to the aim of the proposed project

No. An in-kind match does not count as the required match component.

No. An organization cannot act as its own match.

Yes, as long as the individuals are directly working on the research project.

Questions?

If you don't see what you're looking for, email us your question and a member of our team will respond.

Mailing Address
BCBSM Foundation | Mail Code X101 | 600 E. Lafayette Blvd. | Detroit, MI | 48226-2998