Opportunity Overview
2027 Healthy Kids Initiative Call for Letters of Intent is an open Paso del Norte Health Foundation opportunity for organizations proposing out-of-school-time programs that help disconnected youth ages 5-17 build healthy physical, social, and emotional development. The 2026-2030 Healthy Kids strategy emphasizes trusted adults, positive activities, safe environments, outdoor activity, youth-directed play, and positive youth development.
Deadline and Process
Letters of intent are due through the Foundation’s online application system on September 30, 2026. The current public opportunity page does not publish a closing clock time or time zone, so Atlas does not infer one. Invitations for full proposals are scheduled for October 29, 2026, invited full proposals are due December 10, 2026, award notices are scheduled for March 29, 2027, and the funding cycle begins April 1, 2027. Most grants are expected to run for one year, with possible annual renewal; multi-year grants may be considered.
Funding and Match Controls
The current public LOI does not publish a universal grant amount, total funding pool, or required grant match. It does require proposed programs to incorporate participant fees or an alternative participant-investment model. Nominal fees, community service or similar alternatives may be acceptable, and sliding-scale fees or scholarships may be appropriate for equitable access. This program-design requirement should not be represented as a stated grant match.
Eligible Applicants and Texas Geography
Eligible applicants include nonprofit tax-exempt organizations, churches, and units of government located in the Paso del Norte region. For this Texas lane, the relevant service geography is El Paso and Hudspeth counties. The broader Foundation region also includes counties in southern New Mexico and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua.
Required Program Model
Proposed out-of-school-time programs must focus on recruiting and retaining at least 100 disconnected youth in addition to those currently served, offer summer programming, strengthen the six Cs of Positive Youth Development, and include the participant-fee or alternative-investment model. Programs also must take steps to incorporate outdoor activities and expand youth-directed or unstructured play when feasible.
Potential activities include aligning outdoor and unstructured-play models with existing curriculum, staff training, assessing and mitigating barriers to outdoor or youth-directed play, and pilot testing new outdoor or youth-directed opportunities.
Grantmaking Restrictions
The Foundation’s current grantseeker guidance states that unsolicited grant applications are not accepted outside announced opportunities, brick-and-mortar funding is not provided unless part of a board-approved special project, and grants do not provide direct payment for care. Applicants should follow the current Healthy Kids LOI and the Foundation’s grantmaking guidelines for all final budget and submission controls.
Applicant Fit
Boys & Girls Clubs of El Paso is a realistic Texas candidate for applicant screening because its official materials document after-school and summer programming, sports and recreation, health and wellness programming, low-fee access, and service to El Paso youth. Its public staff directory identifies Renee de Santos, Director of Grants & Communications, rdesantos@bgcelpaso.org, as a grant-facing contact. This is a fit lead only; applicant-specific eligibility, project design, capacity to add 100 disconnected youth, and prior or current Foundation participation still require confirmation before outreach or application work.
Atlas Assessment
Atlas Opportunity Score: 89/100. The opportunity is currently open, clearly aligned to youth health and education, has a defined Texas service geography, a structured two-stage process, and a verified grant contact. The principal uncertainty is that the public LOI does not state a grant amount or closing clock time.
N9+ Fit: 0/100. The solicitation is for youth out-of-school-time programming, outdoor activity, and positive youth development, not remote physical examination technology or telehealth-enabled clinical care. QC Healthcare / other Dr. Miltie Fit: 0/100 under the currently published scope. Atlas should not force a clinical or technology role into this opportunity.
Submission and Contact
Submit the LOI through the Paso del Norte Health Foundation online application system linked from the official opportunity page. Program contact: Jana Renner, Senior Program Officer, jrenner@pdnfoundation.org, 915-218-2616.
Official source: Paso del Norte Health Foundation – 2027 Healthy Kids Initiative Call for Letters of Intent.