Partner Impact on SDOH
Otto Schoitz Foundation funds local nonprofit organizations providing transformative services across the social determinants of health (SDOH)*.
Social determinants are root causes in an individual’s health and wellbeing and include conditions in which we are born, live, learn, work, play, and age.
Areas of special attention for our most recent awards include reducing disparities, particularly mental health inequities, across the determinants and investing in projects that support the overall vitality of our community.
Read on to learn the SDOH impact of a few of our latest grant partners.
*SDOH framework including domains, goals and conditions as defined by US Department of Health and Human Services. More can be found at https://health.gov/healthypeople.
Economic Stability
Goal: Help people earn steady incomes that allow them to meet their needs.
This domain includes conditions such as poverty, housing stability, food security, and employment.
The Salvation Army – The Salvation Army operates three emergency shelters in the Cedar Valley — one for men, another for women and children, and a third family shelter. Operating 24/7/365, the Salvation Army gives those who are in crisis a safe, supportive, encouraging place to go. Funding from the Otto Schoitz Foundation assists the Salvation Army in moving individuals and families in need toward well-rounded self-sufficiency.
Education
Goal: Increase educational opportunities and help children and adolescents do well in school.
This domain includes conditions such as educational attainment in general, high school graduation, enrollment in higher education, language and literacy, early childhood education & development.
1619 Freedom School – The 1619 Freedom School is a new after-school reading and literacy program for Waterloo students. Literacy is the linchpin of all academic success. The average black student in Waterloo public schools is more than two grade levels behind the average white student. Despite this achievement gap, literacy instruction ends after the third grade. With financial support from the Otto Schoitz Foundation, the 1619 Freedom School aims to address the gap by helping students achieve academic success by improving their reading and literacy skills.
Health And Health Care
Goal: Increase access to comprehensive, high-quality health care services.
This domain includes conditions such as availability of health care including primary and mental health services, health insurance coverage, and health literacy.
Peoples Community Health Clinic – Since 1979, Peoples Clinic has provided access to affordable, compassionate, high-quality health care for all, regardless of circumstances. Three out of four individuals served by Peoples Clinic are low resourced and nearly half are from a minority group. The two-year grant will support a 20,000 square foot expansion of the clinic to provide much-needed behavioral health, clinical and pharmacy services to the community.
Elevate Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic – Elevate Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) provides services to individuals with mental health illnesses and substance use disorders. Mental health illness impacts one in four people nationwide. Elevate provides new services in the Cedar Valley, including a 24/7 mobile crisis unit and mental health professionals embedded in the Waterloo Police Department. The Otto Schoitz Foundation award will go toward building a 24/7 Restoration Center that will provide access to an array of behavioral health interventions to those in crisis. Elevate provides access to services primarily to those most vulnerable in our community.
Neighborhood and Built Environment
Goal: Create neighborhoods and environments that promote health and safety.
This domain includes conditions such as quality of housing, availability of healthy foods, parks & other amenities, and access to transportation.
Cedar Falls Schools Foundation – Building a vibrant community that attracts employers and enhances the quality of life is a focus of the Otto Schoitz Foundation. This award supports building a community natatorium adjacent to the new Cedar Falls High School. The complex will include a ten-lane competition pool and a four-lane multipurpose pool. Programs at the pool will include youth swim lessons, lifeguard training, competitive swim training, youth swim meets and community open swim time. The natatorium will serve the entire Cedar Valley and offer reduced entrance fees based on income.
Social and Community Context
Goal: Increase social and community support.
This domain includes conditions such as cohesion within community, workplace conditions, civic participation and other supportive environments.
Try Pie – Try Pie is a social enterprise that uses employment as an opportunity to engage and equip young women for their futures. Through work in a bakery, sitting on a business development committee, educational workshops and mentoring, young women are empowered. Try Pie program participants, 80 percent of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), consistently achieve more favorable school attendance and grades than their peers. The Foundation grant supports Try Pie's operations.
Social Determinants of Health – All Grant Awards
As shown in the chart, funding from the Otto Schoitz Foundation has impacted the social determinants in every domain – we strive to improve health and wellbeing in our community using a comprehensive approach.
Our complete Funding Dashboard can be found here.
