In the health sector, money continues to flow from the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF), originally created in the health reform legislation passed in FY 2010 (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act). The PPHF was created in the same vein as its predecessor from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Prevention and Wellness Fund (PWF). However, while PWF represented a one-time appropriation with limited impact, the PPHF has real dollars committed to it for the next 10 years. In total, the PPHF represents a $15 billion investment over the next decade in community-wide efforts to prevent disease and manage chronic conditions by detecting and controlling them before they become severe and require costly interventions.

Many grantseeking organizations can attest all too well to former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil's famous quote that "all politics is local." For many public agencies, nonprofit organizations, schools, and other organizations, the decisions made at the state and federal levels extend far beyond their immediate influence or control, yet ultimately impact them the most. The annual budget and appropriations processes at the Federal level exemplify O'Neil's point, as the work conducted with respect to each significantly affects the opportunities, challenges, and prospects for local grantseekers.

It has been two years of high price-tag legislation, including the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the upcoming debate over the extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. Given these kinds of historic legislation, Americans are experiencing something of a national sticker shock and demands for deficit reduction continue to grow. All of this is hardly auspicious news from the vantage point of grantseekers.

If you are paying close attention to the health care funding landscape, a new phrase and abbreviation has entered the grants lexicon. Many opportunities being released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are being prefaced with "Affordable Care Act" or "ACA". Apparently, this is the consensus designation for grants authorized through the health reform legislation, or the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that was signed into law on March 23, 2010. The ACA has authorized several grant programs over the next decade to address workforce development and professional shortages in the health arena, improve health care quality overall, and fund the deployment of comprehensive care management delivery models.

By Susannah Mayhall
June 2010 (GO Know)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 infused an unprecedented sum of public funding into the struggling American economy, making over $700 billion available for education, healthcare, public safety, and more. The Recovery Act bolstered support for new initiatives such as broadband infrastructure and energy efficiency. These massive amounts of funding produced a flurry of interest from various private sector industries, all hoping to become involved and receive their share of the stimulus.

In the health care arena, it would be inaccurate to claim that the funding realm has fully shifted to the "life after the recovery act" phase. After all, ARRA funds continue to flow through grant programs such as Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW). CPPW provides funding to local and state health departments in their efforts to promote prevention and wellness, particularly in the areas of smoking, obesity and physical fitness.