[Image: catinrocket/Shutterstock; DI Studio]

Richardson-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas just awarded $2.9 million in 2026-2027 Blue Impact grants to 139 community-based organizations, including 30 in North Texas, that work to improve access to care and address some of the primary social drivers that impact health outcomes for Texans.

The Blue Impact grant program supports nonprofits that focus on long-term, community-driven health solutions. Grant recipients were selected in a thorough process that evaluates the organization’s measurable impact, sustainability, and alignment with BCBSTX’s mission to support healthier Texas communities.

Key issues the funding targets include “housing affordability, maternal health outcomes, access to care, and economic mobility,” the company said.

“For nearly a century, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas has partnered with organizations that understand the unique needs of their communities,” BCBSTX President Jim Springfield said in a statement. “The Blue Impact grants continue that legacy by investing in proven, local solutions that strengthen neighborhoods and help Texans live healthier lives.”

Since 2011, BCBSTX has awarded more than $30 million through the major grants program to community organizations throughout the state, touching the lives of millions of Texas families.

Pillars of the program

According to BCBSTX, the Blue Impact program focuses on five key pillars that impact overall health and well-being:

:: Economic Opportunity & Stability: Addressing issues such as poverty, removing barriers to employment, providing good jobs and upskilling

:: Nutrition: Supporting efforts to decrease hunger and increase access to nutritional food

:: Neighborhood & Built Environment: Focusing on affordable healthy housing, access to transportation and to physical activity

:: Locally Defined Health Solutions: Addressing hyperlocal health and human service needs

:: Optimal Health Outcomes: Helping close gaps in care, specifically in immunizations, diabetes care, cardiovascular care, behavioral health, early detection cancer screening, and maternal and infant health

North Texas grant recipients

BCBSTX highlighted several nonprofits that received grants:

• Bonton Farms received funding to help expand work in South Dallas that connects residents to fresh food, job training, and long-term economic opportunity in a historically underserved neighborhood.
• Housing Connector is addressing one of the region’s biggest challenges, housing access, by helping remove barriers that prevent families from getting housing and providing support so families avoid eviction or homelessness.
• Housing Forward’s grant supports its Street to Home initiative, a large-scale effort to transition individuals out of encampments and into stable housing with access to healthcare and supportive services.
• Austin Street Center received a grant to strengthen its 24/7 shelter model to provide not just emergency housing but critical daytime services that help individuals move toward independence.
• Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic will use funds to expand access to prenatal and postpartum care for uninsured and underserved women, helping improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Dallas.
• Momentous Institute provides mental health services to more than 2,300 children and family members each year, addressing trauma and closing care gaps for underserved communities.
• New Friends New Life supports survivors of trafficking with education, workforce training, and financial stability programs that help them rebuild their lives.

Other grantees in North Texas are:

• 6 Stones Mission Network
• A Chance to Learn
• Community Healthcare of Texas
• Crossroads Community Services, Inc.
• Dallas Youth Initiative
•  Healthier Texas
• Interfaith Family Services
• Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas
• Jonathan’s Place
• Meals on Wheels Collin County
• Meals on Wheels of Wichita County
• Minnie’s Food Pantry
• National Kidney Founda-on Serving North Texas
• Network of Community Ministries
• North Texas Area Community Health Centers
• Phoenix House Texas
• Rainbow Days
• Readers 2 Leaders
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy
• Samaritan Inn, Inc.
• Tarrant Area Food Bank
• Todos Juntos Learning Center
• United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
• Viola’s House

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