Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation Awards Nearly $800K in Grants
The Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation has awarded grants totaling $793,149 to 39 nonprofits throughout Arizona that work with underserved populations of all ages through oral health and nutritional programs. The funding supports projects and services promoting good oral health practices and increasing access to dental care among underserved children, pregnant women, seniors and adults, as well as nutritional access programs such as food banks, afterschool and weekend food programs for children and senior delivery programs.
“To advance our mission to create a path to better health and wellness, Delta Dental of Arizona is focused on promoting whole-body health,” said Michael Jones, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Arizona and president of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation. “Supporting this year’s group of recipients is another way to achieve this objective for Arizonans throughout the state.”
Grants were awarded in two funding categories: Community Grants and IMPACT Grants. Community Grants ranging from $5,000 to $30,000, as well as needed dental supplies, were given to 36 Arizona nonprofits, including 11 first-time recipients.
The Delta Dental IMPACT Grant program, which began in 2020, awards organizations two-year grants totaling $100,000 each, with $50,000 awarded each year. Nonprofits invited to apply for these grants provide oral health services and education to more than 650 children, pregnant women or seniors and have a proven record of fiscal and reporting responsibility.
The IMPACT recipients are:
- Advance Community’s Arizona Oral Health Education Program — the bilingual program educates children in Title 1 schools and various daycare centers across the Valley about the importance of proper daily hygiene practices, proper brushing/flossing techniques and the need for routine dental visits.
- El Rio Health Center’s Pediatric Dental Integration Program — expands direct dental screening, varnish and oral health education during children’s medical well visits by embedding dental hygiene teams in five El Rio Health clinic locations throughout Tucson.
- Tooth BUDDS — a group of affiliated dental practice hygienists serves the children of Graham and Greenlee counties by providing dental screenings, dental cleanings, sealants, fluoride varnish and Silver Diamine Fluoride applications at no cost at the school location.
The grant program is one of many investments Delta Dental of Arizona has made to support access to health and wellness. Since 2010, more than $18 million has been given by the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation to support oral health education, disease prevention and food assistance programs for underserved and uninsured communities across the state.
For more behind this Frontdoor, visit deltadentalaz.com/foundation.
