Marion County outlines $10M community grants from Health First Indiana funds

Marion County public health officials told county commissioners on Sept. 17 that federal-state Health First Indiana funding will boost local public-health capacity and channel $10,000,000 directly to community groups.

Dr. Virginia Kane, speaking for the Marion County Public Health Department, said the state program—created by 2023 legislation—provides $225,000,000 over two years for local health departments. She said Marion County received $10,800,000 in 2024 and projects $22,500,000 in 2025 if the county can demonstrate effective use of the funds. "This legislation allow[s] for $225,000,000 over 2 years for all of the local health departments to improve their infrastructure," Kane said.

Why it matters: county officials said the funding will support core public-health services and community partners that can deliver services at neighborhood scale. Kane said the county will allocate $10,000,000 of its share to civic and community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, faith-based institutions and hospital partners; those awards must be spent in 2025.

Kane outlined program priorities that the county will weigh when awarding grants: maternal and child health, childhood lead screening, tobacco and vaping prevention for adolescents, chronic-disease prevention, infectious-disease preparedness (influenza, RSV and COVID-19), behavioral-health services and interventions targeting social determinants such as food insecurity and unstable housing. The department has solicited input from more than 75 organizations and plans a resident survey covering about 22,500 people to help set local priorities.

Grant process and outreach: Kane said the county aims to publish the application in early–mid October, set a Nov. 15 deadline for submissions and make funding decisions in December so grantees can begin work in January. She described a tiered award structure (roughly $25,000–$75,000 for mid-tier awards and amounts above $75,000 for large awards) and said an independent review panel will score applications based on the community health assessment and other data sources. "The $10,000,000 must be spent, in the year 2025 with our community partners," Kane said.

Kane said the department will hold at least three town halls, publicize the opportunity on TV and radio, provide technical assistance and use an online portal to accept applications. She emphasized efforts to reduce barriers for smaller applicants, saying the county will provide sample grant materials and simplify the process for awards below the larger funding thresholds.

Local capacity and workforce: Kane told commissioners the funding has allowed Marion County to make market adjustments for staff after years without raises; she said about 70% of department employees received salary increases to improve recruitment and retention. Kane also noted the county could add food inspectors—she cited a gap relative to FDA guidance for the county’s roughly 7,000 restaurants—and said the funds have allowed hiring to reduce inspector burnout.

Next steps: County staff will publish application materials and outreach dates; Kane said she will return to the commission with updates on award decisions. Commissioners thanked the public health department for the presentation and for pandemic-era work connecting residents to vaccinations.