Local, not-for-profit organizations encouraged to apply for 2026 “Better Together” Community Grant Funding Program
As the only not-for-profit, integrated academic healthcare network in the state, Renown Health and its health insurance organization, Hometown Health, reinvest 100% of every dollar earned back into the community; in expertise, technology, treatments, training, and research to improve health and prevent illness.
Today, the Renown Health team, representing physicians, nurses and employees, announced that the “Better Together” community grant funding program, including access to public health data at nevadatomorrow.org will again be available for 2026 to assist other not-for-profit partners in helping Renown address the area’s most critical healthcare needs and build a healthier Nevada.
“For more than 160 years, Renown Health has worked to improve the health of our community,” said Brian Erling, MD, MBA, President & CEO of Renown Health. “As an essential community asset, and in affiliation with the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, we take our mission to save lives, nurture minds, and care for all people, very seriously. As we expand our not-for-profit mission, we look to address the community’s most pressing health needs. By partnering with other mission-driven, nonprofit organizations we are working to address these issues, which include expanding access to care, enhancing affordability and ensuring that every person can live their healthiest and best life.”
Renown Health’s “Better Together” Community Benefit Grant Program, which was introduced in 2025, offers local organizations the opportunity to collaborate with Renown Health in addressing the region’s most pressing health challenges.
Renown is seeking to fund Request for Proposals (RFPs) on projects that address the following three critical health care needs areas of people living in the areas served by Renown Regional Medical Center and Renown South Meadows Medical Center.
- PRIORITY AREA #1: Mental Health
- PRIORITY AREA # 2: Access to Healthcare and Community Services
- PRIORITY AREA #3: Maternal and Child Health
The grant application process is open as of Wednesday, Oct. 1.
2026 “Better Together” Grant Funding Criteria
Eligible Organizations: Applicants must hold a current 501(c)(3) designation and demonstrate alignment with Renown Health’s mission, vision and values. Funding may be allocated to public agencies, including health departments, school districts or other government entities. Other organizations and individuals are not eligible.
Grant Awards: Grantees will be awarded funding of up to $10,000 for the calendar year 2026, determined by their alignment with priority populations, the scope of their work and the strength of their project plan. One application per year from any single non-profit organization is eligible.
Application Timeline
- Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 | Request for Proposals & Application Released
- Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025 at 9 a.m. | Virtual CHNA & Better Together
Grant Overview Meeting and Q&A
- Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 at 5 p.m. | Final Deadline for Application Submission
- Monday, Jan. 12, 2026 | Finalists Announced & Virtual Interviews Scheduled
Click here for full details about the request for proposal process.
Our “Better Together” Community Benefits Grant Program is designed to simplify the process for nonprofits and encourage collaboration,” said Kerry Kelly, Community Health Manager. “We look forward to reviewing innovative proposals from organizations that are tackling complex health challenges and advancing health equity across our region.”
Celebrating Past Impact
Since its inception, the “Better Together” Community Benefits Grant Program has funded nonprofits advancing youth wellness, food security, behavioral health access and preventative health education throughout northern Nevada. In 2025, 51 community agencies received “Better Together” Community Benefits Grant Program funding for a project that addresses one or more of the three critical health care needs (Mental Health, Access to Healthcare and Community Services, Maternal and Child Health) of people living in the areas served by Renown Regional Medical Center and Renown South Meadows Medical Center.
This followed a rigorous and thorough scoring process by a panel of public health experts, designed to ensure fairness, transparency and the selection of the most impactful projects. The success of the health system’s partnerships in improving the health of Washoe County is measured in the health statistics and data that are reported at the local, state, and national level on the website, NevadaTomorrow.org.
The Community Benefit program supports Renown Health’s commitment to caring for the people of northern Nevada. Notably, Renown provides 66.5% of hospital services in the Reno/Sparks, NV area and 72.2% of Medicaid and uninsured care in the region. In Calendar Year 2024, Renown Health provided $196.1 Million in Community Benefit, predominantly for unreimbursed healthcare services, community health improvement and health professions education.
“Our Community Health Program supports Renown’s mission, vision and values in a very tangible way; by identifying the most urgent health care needs, and directing allocated resources more effectively for outreach, prevention, education and wellness initiatives,” says Kerry Kelly, MPH, Community Health Manager, Renown Health. “We work with clinical experts and community partners to develop approaches that target the social determinants of health, to complement our healthcare system’s current services, offering quality, affordable healthcare to everyone, and improving the overall health of our community.”
Visit Renown’s Community Commitment page for more information.
As the region’s only Level 2 Trauma Center for adults and children, Renown serves over 1 million people and 100,000 square miles.
Renown Health is the region’s largest, locally governed, not-for-profit integrated academic health care network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 8,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination, and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a children’s hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health.
