Opportunity Overview
CommonSpirit Health’s 2027 Community Health Improvement Grants are currently open for eligible Texas nonprofits serving communities around participating St. Luke’s Health and St. Joseph Health hospitals. The program funds defined projects that address significant needs identified in each hospital’s current Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) or implementation strategy, with an emphasis on community health, health equity, vulnerable populations and stronger local service systems.
Deadline and Grant Period
The application period is open from July 20 through September 18, 2026. CommonSpirit does not publish a specific closing time on its current program page, so applicants should submit ahead of the date rather than assume end-of-day acceptance. Funding decisions are expected on or about January 20, 2027, agreements and payments follow in February-March 2027, and funded projects run from April 1, 2027 through March 31, 2028.
Texas Award Ranges
Funding is set by participating hospital or granting cluster rather than by one statewide ceiling. The current 2027 Texas hospital list includes: Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, $40,000-$150,000; St. Luke’s The Vintage, $20,000-$26,750; Brazosport Hospital, $20,000-$24,000; the Livingston/Lufkin/San Augustine Memorial cluster, $20,000-$40,000; Sugar Land Hospital, $20,000-$26,000; The Woodlands/Lakeside cluster, $20,000-$45,000; and fixed small-grant amounts of $6,500-$7,000 at several smaller St. Joseph Health markets. Bryan/College Station is listed at $20,000-$75,000.
Who Can Apply
Applicants must be IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in good standing, or use a qualifying 501(c)(3) fiscal agent capable of administering grant funds. The applicant and partners must render services consistent with CommonSpirit Health’s mission and vision.
Projects must serve people within the participating hospital’s service area and include underserved or vulnerable populations. Activities must address one or more CHNA-identified needs and provide sustained project activity over approximately 9 to 12 months.
Texas Health Priorities
Across the current Texas hospital list, major priorities include healthcare access and quality, mental health, cancer, heart disease and stroke. Individual hospitals or clusters may have additional priorities, so applicants should use the current hospital list and the specific CHNA for the hospital or cluster they intend to approach.
Collaboration Requirement
CommonSpirit distinguishes small grants of up to $19,500 from standard grants of $20,000-$150,000. Standard-grant proposals must include two or more collaborating partner organizations in addition to the applicant. Partners can be nonprofit or public organizations and must have distinct, complementary and substantive project roles. Collaboration is encouraged, but not mandatory, for small-grant requests.
Allowable and Ineligible Costs
Proposal budgets may include equipment purchases up to $5,000 plus computer equipment up to $2,500, with total equipment costs not exceeding 50% of funds requested. Vehicles are treated as equipment. Indirect costs are allowable up to 10% of the total request.
The program does not fund unrestricted general operating support, event sponsorships, projects shorter than nine months, capital projects such as buildings or renovations, lobbying or political campaigns, or contracts for services. Proposals structured as the delivery of services or products to a hospital or its patients at a specified budget or price are likely to be treated as contracts rather than grant projects.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 95/100. This is a strong, current Texas healthcare-access opportunity with multiple participating hospital markets, clearly published health priorities, defined award ranges and a September 18 deadline. It is particularly relevant to community nonprofits addressing access to care, mental health, cancer, chronic disease, social drivers of health and related CHNA priorities.
N9+ Direct Vendor Fit: 38/100 conditional. The current guidance creates a real but limited equipment pathway: equipment up to $5,000 plus computer equipment up to $2,500 is allowable, subject to the 50%-of-request cap. However, capital projects and contracts for services are excluded, and the project must remain a nonprofit-led community health initiative rather than a vendor sale to a hospital. Any connected-clinical-technology component should therefore be modest, mission-linked and clearly justified within an eligible applicant’s broader CHNA-aligned project. QC Healthcare Fit: 5/100 because contracts for services are expressly excluded.
Next Action
Identify the participating Texas hospital or cluster that serves the target community, review its current CHNA and listed priority needs, confirm the appropriate award range, assemble the required nonprofit documentation and substantive partners for any request of $20,000 or more, and submit through the linked hospital application portal before September 18, 2026.
Official sources: CommonSpirit Health — Community Health Improvement Grants; St. Luke’s Health — 2027 Texas Grant Announcement.