The Social Impact Funds What We Fund
The Social Impact Funds strategically deploy capital to organizations that strengthen health across all ages and communities — expanding access to the resources people need to live longer, healthier lives. We fund social entrepreneurs who use deep community understanding and evidence-based interventions to tackle three essential drivers of health.
Increasing Health Care Access & Quality
Overcoming barriers to high-quality, affordable and accessible health care is critical to living a healthy, vibrant life. We fund health care solutions that improve the chances of longevity and well-being for all people by addressing:
- Age, gender and culturally appropriate care
- Maternal health
- Primary care for children and families
- Remote care access
- Transportation
- Mental health
- Substance use recovery
Improving Food Security & Nutrition
Expanding access to nutritious, affordable and environmentally sustainable food is vital to health. We invest in innovations that transform the food system — from agriculture and distribution to meal delivery and waste reduction, including:
- Healthy food access
- Institutional meal providers
- Food as medicine
- Mobile markets
- Food hubs
- Sustainable farming
- Urban farming
Driving Economic Vitality
Strengthening economic well-being means opening doors for people to build income, skills and financial security — ensuring they have the resources to support better health outcomes. We back initiatives that expand opportunity through:
- Vocational training
- School to career pathways
- Skill upleveling
- Job creation
- Access to banking
- Financial literacy
- Violence prevention
- Support for people impacted by the justice system
- Housing support
Funding Eligibility & Types
Venture Investments
For-profit organizations
Up to $500K initially with potential for follow-on funding
Seed to Series A equity rounds typically but flexible
Grants
Nonprofit and for-profit organizations
$150K – $500K
We occasionally consider term loans of two-to-five years, up to $500K. The type and level of funding we provide is based on community needs, program deliverables, reach and issue-specific measures. We may combine different funding instruments to help organizations achieve their goals.
Funding Opportunities Now Open
We are currently accepting applications from national and local organizations in Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York City, Philadelphia and West Virginia.
Both for-profit and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funding from the Social Impact Funds. Some of our programs are national in scope, and others focus on specific regions and locally-driven solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
For 100 years, the American Heart Association has worked relentlessly for a world of longer, healthier lives. Targeting the social drivers of health is one of the many ways the Association is advancing health and hope for everyone, everywhere.
More than 184 million people — 6 in 10 adults — in the U.S. are expected to have some type of cardiovascular disease within the next 30 years. The social drivers of health — the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work and age — have a direct correlation to cardiovascular risk, health outcomes and longevity. These conditions can have a very real, negative affect on health for historically marginalized groups, those who suffer from violence or bias, people living in poverty and other populations.
Entrepreneurs who have the lived experience and community understanding to create viable solutions often face barriers to capital, further exacerbating negative health impacts.
The Social Impact Funds were created to address the confluence of health, social and capital challenges to drive positive impact for people in communities across the country.
Social drivers of health are the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work and age. People who lack the most basic needs — healthy food, clean air and drinking water, quality education, safe spaces to learn, play and pray, well-paying jobs and housing — often face challenges that can lead to poorer health outcomes and shorter lives. Sustainable solutions to these negative effects are vital to improving individual and community health.
The primary differences that distinguish the Social Impact Funds are:
- Focus on social drivers of health and impact compared with a singular focus on financial returns
- Commitment to support organizations that are often challenged to find the capital needed to achieve growth and sustainability.
- We finance organizations working to address health care access and quality, food security or economic empowerment, particularly among under-resourced populations.
- We prioritize supporting founders who have lived experience within the communities they serve and with the challenges they are seeking to solve.
- Range of funding types — grants, loans and investments — enables us to support both for-profit and nonprofit entities.
- Support provided at the earliest stages to help organizations build the infrastructure and experience to enable scale and sustainability on their road to impact.
Our financing approach is intended to equip the organizations we fund to build for the long term.
Every applicant undergoes a thorough programmatic impact, operational and financial evaluation so we can determine the viability of large-scale impact that can be advanced through our funding.
Selections are based on the strength of multiple factors, including:
- Alignment with our investment strategy.
- Demonstrated ability to drive change in under-resourced communities.
- A meaningful and trusted connection to the target community.
- Strength and quality of team, program design, operational and financial plan.
- Potential to scale and achieve sustainability for maximum health impact.
We join with the Association’s national and local teams and volunteers, who have trusted relationships nationwide, to learn from stakeholders, understand local challenges and sensitivities and identify for-profit and nonprofit organizations that can catalyze positive change in support of the American Heart Association mission.
The Social Impact Funds help portfolio organizations scale and achieve sustainability through a combination of strategic guidance, capacity building and impact measurement. Each funded organization is paired with a dedicated Funds principal to co-create customized performance indicators aligned with their business model and goals. Quarterly check-ins ensure progress tracking and provide actionable feedback.
Capacity building is central to our approach. Our Platform and Ecosystem team delivers non-financial support that accelerates mission-aligned growth — offering technical assistance, access to the Association’s data and expert network, visibility through marketing channels and guidance on business planning and expansion.
Impact measurement is another cornerstone of our program. Leveraging our leadership in science and research, we help organizations develop metrics, apply evaluation tools and use data not only to track progress but to amplify their story and drive growth.