Local Nonprofits Contributing to a Healthier Community Encouraged to Apply for Ten $40,000 Awards

Apr 14, 2015 12:25 PM ET

April 14, 2015 /3BL Media/ - GlaxoSmithKline (@GSKUS) and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (@PhillySJUnited) today issued the call for applications for the GSK IMPACT Awards.  This annual awards program will honor up to ten local nonprofit organizations with $40,000 each in recognition of their exceptional achievements in contributing to a healthier Greater Philadelphia Region.

“So much of what affects our health happens outside of the doctor’s office,” said Becki Lynch, Manager, US Community Partnerships, GSK.  “Through the GSK IMPACT Awards, we will recognize outstanding local nonprofit organizations that are making the Greater Philadelphia region a healthier place to live and work.”

The GSK IMPACT Awards honor innovative and collaborative nonprofit organizations with evidence-informed programs that are helping people – especially underserved populations – live healthier lives, and contributing to the health of the Greater Philadelphia Region.  The GSK IMPACT Awards is one of several charitable programs GSK offers in the U.S. as part of a commitment to building healthier communities and a healthy America.  This is the 19th year of the program, and for the second year, GSK is proud to partner with United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) in the administration of the awards.

“We are excited to again partner with GSK in the administration of the GSK IMPACT awards to drive measurable lasting impact that none of us could achieve alone,” said Jim Cawley, president and CEO, UWGPSNJ.  “Everyone in our community deserves access to the resources they need to lead healthy lives and these awards allow local nonprofits to strengthen our communities overall.”

EligibilityEligible organizations include small and mid-size nonprofits with existing programs that have demonstrated results, that are located and operate in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and/or Philadelphia Counties; and that address at least one of the following factors that affect health: 1) Diet & Exercise, 2) Education, 3) Built Environment, 4) Employment, and 5) Family & Social Support.  To view additional criteria and to apply, visit http://us.gsk.com/en-us/about-us/us-community-partnerships/gsk-impact-awards/. The application deadline is Friday, May 22, 2015 (prior to submitting an application, organizations must register online by Friday, May 1, 2015). Interested applicants are invited to participate in one of two conference calls being held on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. ET or Thursday, April 23, 2015 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET and can register here. For questions, contact UWGPSNJ at GSKImpactAwards@uwgpsnj.org.

Selection Process: GSK and UWGPSNJ staff review applications and select no more than 20 finalists (spring).  A panel comprised of local and national community health experts and GSK representatives perform site visits, evaluate the finalist applications, and select up to ten winners (summer).  The winners will be notified in the fall and presented with their GSK IMPACT Award and $40,000 each at a ceremony at GSK’s new facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in late 2015.

Past Winners: Learn about the 2014 Winners, view photos, and learn more about GSK’s work to build a healthier community.

The History of GSK IMPACT Awards:  For nearly twenty years, GSK has honored outstanding nonprofit organizations that are improving health in and around our U.S. corporate campuses in Durham, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with GSK IMPACT Awards. The name ‘IMPACT’ derives from the focus that winners must be: Innovative, Measured, Partnered, Accountable, Community-centered, and Transformative. To date, 191 exemplary U.S.-based nonprofits have been honored with $7,660,000 in GSK IMPACT Awards in both the Greater Philadelphia and Research Triangle Regions. The GSK IMPACT Awards for Greater Philadelphia was launched in 1997 and since then we have honored 145 nonprofit programs with $5,810,000. The GSK IMPACT Awards for the Triangle Region was launched in 2009, and since then we have recognized 46 nonprofit programs with $1,850,000 in GSK IMPACT Awards. In 2013, the GSK IMPACT Awards were redesigned to align with our efforts to explore what it means and what it takes to be a healthy community. Eligibility expanded to nonprofit programs that promote healthy lifestyles, advance educational outcomes, and address other determinants of our health. This focus on healthy communities continues in 2015.

Background on Healthy Communities: The GSK IMPACT Grant for Philadelphia is one of several charitable programs GSK offers as part of a commitment to building healthier communities across the nation.  In 2012 the company launched a national initiative designed to better understand the barriers and identify opportunities for building healthier communities in the United States.  This led to the creation of a range of community-health focused programs including the GSK IMPACT Grants, available in Denver, St. Louis, and Philadelphia.

View our US fact sheet and Pennsylvania fact sheet for a snapshot of our work building healthy communities in the US.

About United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, serving communities in Pennsylvania’s Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey’s Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland counties, is part of a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and in people’s lives. United Way engages the community to identify the underlying causes of the most significant local issues, develops strategies and pulls together financial and human resources to address them, and measures the results.  United Way is advancing the common good in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey by positively impacting the lives of people throughout the region in the areas of education, income, and health.  For more information about United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey visit www.UnitedForImpact.org.

About GSK
GSK – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.  For further information go to us.gsk.com, follow us on twitter.com/GSKUS or visit our blog (www.morethanmedicine.us.gsk.com/blog/).

Join the conversations online @GSKUS #GSKimpact