Glossary
The terms defined here are not intended to represent a definitive glossary of terms for the health care industry or for the nonprofit community in New Hampshire, the United States, or those visiting our website from other countries. We selected terms that can have ambiguous meanings, and that we use in our mission statement and in our grantmaking goals. Some of the terms defined here may help an organization in the composition of a Letter of Inquiry, and when the organization is formally invited by the HNHfoundation to apply for a grant.
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accessThe availability of personal health services to achieve the best possible health outcomes. advocacy Taking part in efforts to create or effect change in policies or systems. Advocacy efforts can take many forms, including education, media, direct action, and lobbying.
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barrier
Any obstacle that restricts or prevents enrollment and retention in children's health and dental insurance coverage or, access to healthy food and places to be active.
best practices
Strategies, programs, and initiatives that have been formally evaluated and documented as consistently producing positive, desired results.
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capacity
The organizational structure, management and staff skills, technical resources, and operating methods that determine its ability to solve problems, create and sustain services and programs, generate resources and support.
collaboration
A group of organizations working together to achieve a common goal through planning, design, and implementation. In this effort, all organizations involved exchange information, share resources, enhance the capacities of each other, and alter their normal activities to achieve the goal.
community needs assessment
Documented research that demonstrates the needs of the target population of a project, as opposed to the needs of the applicant organization. Research includes consulting with members of the public, community organizations, service providers, and local government officials to identify and prioritize community health and health care needs.
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data
Information collected to support a decision or describe an outcome.
discretionary support
Discretionary support is awarded by the HNHfoundation to fill an urgent, short-term gap to provide essential services. See the Grant Center for details.
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education Activities that inform constituents, stakeholders or others in order to fulfill the HNHfoundation mission to evaluate and promote access to quality health and dental insurance coverage and to promote healthy lifestyles for the residents of New Hampshire. environmental change
Transforming interior and exterior places, e.g. early learning centers, communities or neighborhoods, to support positive health outcomes. Examples include: creating or enhancing places for play, making fruits and vegetables available in local corner stores and markets, and increasing places where people can walk where they live, learn and work.
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fiscal agent
A nonprofit organization that serves as the financial agent for an applicant organization, if that service is necessary, whose mission aligns with the applicant organization and the HNHfoundation.
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goal
A broad, measurable statement that describes the desired outcome over the long term. For example, a goal may be to reduce the number of children in the greater Nashua area who have no health insurance coverage from 10% to 3%, over a five-year period.
grant
Funding awarded to benefit an organization to support operations or strategy implementation.
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health
The state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
health insurance
Health insurance provides coverage against loss from illness or bodily injury. It can pay for medicine, visits to the doctor, hospital stays, other medical and prevention expenses. Coverage depends on the conditions covered and the benefits and choices of treatment available within the health insurance plan.
health insurance exchange
A set of standardized health insurance plans available to individuals and eligible for government subsidy/reimbursement. Health insurance exchanges are a component of the Affordable Care Act.
healthy lifestyles
The adoption of behaviors‚ such as eating nutritious foods, being physically active, and avoiding tobacco use‚ that prevent or control the devastating effects of chronic disease.
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innovative projects
Projects with a potential for or that facilitate broad impact and measurable, long-term benefit across populations.
inputs
The resources needed to implement an activity and achieve outcomes (see work plan II). Inputs can include staff, consultants, volunteers, new technology, new equipment, and supplies
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letter of inquiry
A letter to the HNHfoundation that describes a funding need in response to an HNHfoundation Request for Proposals. A Letter of Inquiry may lead to an invitation from the HNHfoundation for the organization to apply for a grant. See the Grant Center for details.
leveraged funds
Monies to be received from sources other than the HNHfoundation if the applicant receives an award from the HNHfoundation. Potential (or secured) leveraged funds should be identified in the project budget.
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project
A description of the total effort to be undertaken by the applicant organization in order to achieve the goals set forth in the Letter of Inquiry, including specific activities for which funds are sought from the HNHfoundation.
policy change Laws, rules or standards that result in conditions favorable to a health outcome. For example, early learning settings can adopt policies that decrease the use of screen time or increase consumption of healthy foods that can result in preventing obesity, and communities can adopt policies that create or enhance places to walk and play. Policy changes that increase access to children’s health and dental insurance coverage include streamlined enrollment processes in the Healthy Kids Program or eliminating the five-year waiting period to allow legal immigrant children to enroll in the Healthy Kids Program.
promising practice
A promising practice is one with at least preliminary evidence of effectiveness in small-scale interventions or for which there is potential for generating data that will be useful for making decisions about taking the intervention to scale and generalizing the results to diverse populations and settings.
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sustainability
The ability of the outcomes of a project to become integrated into the health system(s) that impact a target population, and that no longer require HNHfoundation funding.
systemic change
A permanent change to any of the underlying system(s)that impact a target population. Ultimately, systemic change may require a change in public policy.
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target population
The group of persons whose health status is expected to be directly improved by the project.
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under-served population
A group of people, who for a variety of reasons, do not have equal access to health care insurance, and/or knowledge or skills that would otherwise enable them to have access to the health care system, and live healthy lifestyles.
under-insured population
Individual and family situations in which the health insurance policy or health benefits plan is less than complete and comprehensive. For example, the family may lack coverage for specific services, have a maximum benefits limit or cap on covered services, or have a high copayment or co-insursance rate.
