Community and civic organizations in Carroll and Leflore counties, as well as other groups, are being invited to pursue funding to help address tobacco usage among Black men and the health risks associated with it.
The Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health, a Ridgeland-based organization that was formed last year to reduce health disparities among disadvantaged and underserved minority populations in Mississippi, received grant funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic organization that focuses on health.
That money allows the Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health to fund six community outreach projects in the state.
They will focus on tobacco usage among Black males ages 12 and older, the risk factors for chronic diseases associated with tobacco use and the link between tobacco use and COVID-19 as well as provide community resources and education about those topics.
Each proposed project would be awarded a grant worth $5,000 to $10,000. The proposed project must take place within a 21-county region, outlined by the institute, which includes Carroll and Leflore counties.
Jordan Graves, a program manager for the Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health, said the point of the project is to allow the institute to partner with local, on-the-ground community organizations in order to reduce tobacco usage across the Delta as well as providing education and local resources.
“We’re looking to build partnerships,” Graves emphasized.
The institute is requesting proposals for community outreach projects. Each proposal should outline in two to three pages the title, date and location of the activity and give a brief description and timeline of the project and community partners that would be involved.
The outline must also include an evaluation for the community outreach project.
The proposals, which are due Nov. 4, may be emailed to iamh@advancingminorityhealth.org.
•Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
