Being for Others Foundation Launches Rapid Response Grants for Urgent Community Needs

When the November 2025 federal government shutdown delayed grant money to PACE Community Action Agency, more than 90 percent of the Head Start children enrolled in Daviess County — nearly all of whom live below the federal poverty line — faced an uncertain future. The Jasper-based Being for Others Health and Wellness Foundation stepped in with temporary financial assistance to keep the program running. That emergency partnership, it turns out, permanently changed how BFO operates.

The foundation announced in March 2026 the launch of its Rapid Response Grants program, a standing funding mechanism built specifically to address time-sensitive, unexpected, or small-scale community needs across its eight-county Southern Indiana service area. The program is available year-round, or until designated resources are fully allocated, and is open to nonprofits, governmental entities, and schools serving residents in Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Martin, Orange, Perry, Pike, or Spencer County.

The PACE case illustrates precisely what the new program targets. PACE, a regional nonprofit providing early childhood education, housing, energy assistance, and health support to low-income families across Daviess, Greene, Knox, and Sullivan counties, could not absorb the federal delay on its own. BFO's temporary assistance ensured that families could continue working, children kept learning, and Head Start's network of education, health screenings, and nutrition support for children birth through age five stayed intact. What began as a single emergency, the foundation noted, inspired the creation of something permanent.

Rapid Response Grants are described as one-time awards in small-scale and varied amounts, with no specific per-grant cap publicly stated. The grants are designed for situations where the standard grant calendar does not fit the urgency of the need. Applicants must align with at least one of BFO's grant pillars, which are grounded in the Social Determinants of Health and include Access to Comprehensive Healthcare, Mental Health and Substance Use Support, Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, and Transportation and Connectivity, among others. Applicants also must not be in competition with programs or services provided by Deaconess Memorial Medical Center.

The Rapid Response program joins two existing 2026 grant offerings from BFO. Community Collaboration Grants provide multi-year funding of up to $250,000 over three years for multi-sector teams addressing complex community issues, with applications accepted in a spring cycle only. Project Grants offer one-year funding between $1,000 and $40,000, with three application cycles annually, and are aimed at nonprofits, schools, and governmental agencies working on local health and wellness improvements.

BFO was established through a $20 million endowment created by the 2024 affiliation between Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center and Deaconess Health System. Focused exclusively on grantmaking, the foundation does not deliver direct services but partners with local organizations, agencies, and other funders to advance health across Southern Indiana.

Organizations unsure which grant program fits their work can contact BFO directly at 812-556-0400 or info@beingforothers.org. Additional information, including a grant application toolkit, is available at beingforothers.org.