G-2405-21777

The American Network of Oral Health Coalitions (ANOHC) is the national membership organization for state oral health coalitions and serves as a forum of collaboration and coordination among state and grassroots level advocates advancing oral health equity. This proposal for grant support will enable ANOHC to convene its member coalitions for its annual gathering at the National Oral Health Conference as well as sustain its Peer Support Program and launch the Emerging Coalitions Learning Collaborative (ECLC), which is a peer support program for emerging coalitions and leaders. ANOHC will conduct a survey to evaluate the annual meeting attendees’ impressions and suggestions for improvements moving forward.

In addition to supporting the in-person convening at the National Oral Health Conference, ANOHC’s ECLC will support the establishment, launch, and operations of new and emerging state oral health coalitions by advancing the leadership, managerial, operational, programmatic, and policy-related competencies of member organizations’ staffs. The ECLC runs for a twelve-month period and offers bi-monthly cohort calls and creates opportunities for participating members to present progress updates and policy changes from different states that may inform advocacy strategies for newer coalitions. In addition to providing the network a supportive forum for learning, the ECLC will also collect feedback from member coalitions about their experiences and actionable next steps to address during and between its meetings.

This proposal is recommended for funding in the requested amount of $13,365. The funding from CareQuest Institute will support four ANOHC member scholarships (priority given to emerging coalitions with limited resources) to attend the annual meeting at the National Oral Health Conference, meeting expenses such as AV support and exhibit space rental, and two consultants (Administrative to manage logistics and communications to members; Leadership & Capacity to organize, manage, and facilitate the ECLC). The request represents 47% of the organization's annual operating budget.