Your official grant period is stated in the fully executed award letter that is saved under application documents on your grant record. All funds must be spent during this time and only for activities approved within your grant application and budget. Modifications to your plan must be reviewed and discussed with your Consultant in advance of implementing changes as pre-approval is required. In modifying campaign plans, any changes that result in necessary budget revisions must be addressed through the process outlined in the “Budget Reallocation” section in this document.
To make grant administration as streamlined as possible all grant administration is completed through the online grant management system: https://voicesforhealthykids.fluxx.io. Within the Fluxx system, each grant will have two main contacts: primary contact and campaign coordinator. These two contacts will receive the automated system email reminders for reporting, etc. Please be sure to contact Voices for Healthy Kids if either of these contacts leaves your organization or you wish to change the contacts. The online Fluxx system allows you to access your grant and view your application, campaign plan and approved budget at any time. Grant administration reports, reallocation requests and amendments are all submitted through the online Fluxx system. If you have any questions about the online grant management system, please contact Voices for Healthy Kids.
Voices for Healthy Kids strives to make each day healthier for every child. We want every child in every community to have access to affordable healthy foods and beverages, safe places to play and get active, and more. Voices for Healthy Kids works around the country to improve or create equitable policies that will make the places kids, live, learn, and play healthier.
Upon award, new Policy Campaign grantees are assigned an onboarding report in the reporting section of the online grant management system and provided with an easy-to-follow onboarding worksheet. All new grantees need to track the completion of the onboarding training and action items on the worksheet and submit the report in the system by the due date. The Onboarding training links are located on the Onboarding page within the online grant management system.
Rapid Response and Finish Line Funding grants are welcome to review the training opportunities listed here but will not be required to complete unless specified in your reporting requirements.
Targeted Opportunity grants may have tailored onboarding, please refer to your award notification email for additional information.
Voices for Healthy Kids Policy Campaign grantees are required to complete an interim and a final grant administration report including a narrative and expense reporting in the online grant management system. The reports are assigned to the grantee upon award with clear due dates indicated in the award letter. For each report, expenses should be reported from the beginning of the grant through the most recent month’s end.
Rapid Response, Finish Line Funding and Targeted grant awards may only have a final report based on the duration of the award and funding amount. Please check for the details of your reporting requirements in your award letter.
Campaign Updates may be requested by the grantee’s Consultant within reasonable terms and timeframes.
If your organization has received lobbying funds in your grant, you are responsible for tracking and reporting under IRS ruling your lobbying activities. Reporting may include time and effort, filing IRS Form 990 Schedule C, etc. Please work with your legal counsel to ensure compliance with IRS and state or local reporting. Please see the additional section on Legal Contingency Funding below.
Payment of grants may vary depending on the size and type of the grant awarded. Payment terms and timing are outlined in the grant agreement letter. Payments will not be made to grantees with outstanding reports.
Budget revisions and reallocations are allowable within the grant and within reason. If a budget reallocation is greater than 10% of a budget category (personnel costs, direct costs, purchased services), grantees must submit a formal request for revision that includes a current expense report, reallocation form (included in expense report) and a narrative explanation for the reallocation.
For eligible grants, we allow up to 20% of your total budget to be allocated to lobbying activities (where appropriate to the campaign). If you add or change your campaign plan tactics with a budget reallocation, those tactics must be approved. If your campaign needs to increase the lobbying allocation above 20%, this can be discussed with your Consultant and determined on a case-by-case basis.
Budget reallocation requests are completed through the online grant management system. If you are seeking a reallocation at the same time as an interim is due, you can submit the reallocation on those report forms. If you do not have a report due when you are seeking a reallocation, please reach out to your Consultant to request a reallocation report be assigned to you in the online grant management system. Instructions for completing a report with a reallocation request can be found in the online grant management system.
Once submitted, the report or amendment with a reallocation request will be reviewed. If approved, the application budget will be updated to reflect the reallocation and you will be notified of approval via the online grant management system. If you have
As you are approaching the end date of your policy campaign grant funding, and you have not expended all your funds and the work related to the grant continues, you may request approval for a no cost extension to the grant. You will need to submit a plan to continue the campaign, a timeline for expending the funds and a current expense report.
You must complete and submit the completed amendment-no-cost extension form at least 30 days prior to your grant end date for consideration. Amendments are not guaranteed.
Tip sheets for submitting amendments can be found in the grant management system under Grantee Resources. Amendments will be reviewed and if approved, an email notification will be sent from the online grant management system. As part of your Amendment Request, the following items are required to be submitted for review.
Current expense spending report (with a budget reallocation request, if applicable).
An overview of the future campaign tactics with progress to date clearly outlined.
Narrative with timeline for expending the funds including the new requested end date.
As the amendment will be signed by your organizational signatory, please confirm the contact is still accurate.
Rapid Response and Finish Line Funding grant awards are not eligible for no cost extension. No-Cost Extensions for Targeted grant awards will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Policy Campaign applications are required to have at least one collaborative organization included in the application.
Voices for Healthy Kids believes campaigns are most successful through collaboration between community organizations, advocacy groups, coalitions and others. The Policy Campaign grant is a collaborative opportunity. All applications are expected to be submitted as a joint proposal of two or more organizations, either as Co-Lead /Subgrant/AHA Collaborator and should be equitably compensated for their time and expertise.
Voices for Healthy Kids is evolving to improve the flow of funding to communities facing the greatest inequities and to work with community leaders and organizations that are already making strides for change. As with the Lead organization, Co-Leads and Subgrants should be representative of the following populations: Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/a, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American and Pacific Islander and/or children living in families with low-income.
Co-Lead organizations would be taking on a larger role in the campaign and receiving a portion of the budget to complete their work.
Subgrant organizations would be taking on a specific tactic of the campaign such as grassroots recruitment or community organizing, and the budget allotment should reflect their efforts.
AHA Collaborator status is designated when a state or local American Heart Association team is serving in a Co-Lead (AHA Collaborator Co-Lead) or Subgrant (AHA Collaborator Subgrant) role. You need to indicate this relationship on the application. If your application is funded, the payment for the portion of the grant/tactics will not be included in the lead organization payments but internally dispersed to the local AHA team for expending. The lead organization for the campaign will be responsible for the financial reporting and narrative reporting for the funds/tactics the AHA Collaborator is supporting for the campaign.
Example: Total request budget is $200,000 with two subgrants at $25,000 each and an AHA Collaborator at $25,000.
Lead Organization would receive $175,000 in funding for the $200,000 campaign and would manage the MOU and payments to the Subgrant and the expense and narrative. AHA Collaborator would receive $25,000 directly from Voices for Healthy Kids and would report through Lead Organization for expense and narrative reports. AHA Collaborator scope of work will be determined by the grant applications and no MOU will be executed between the Lead Organization and the AHA.
It is the responsibility of the lead grantee to manage the relationship with the Co-Lead/Subgrant/AHA Collaborator including project scope and payments. The lead grantee is responsible for ensuring the Co-Lead/Subgrant/AHA Collaborator satisfies the same reporting (narrative and budget) and compliance requirements that Voices for Healthy Kids includes in its grant agreement with the lead grantee.
Rapid Response, Finish Line Funding and targeted grant awards may or may not be required to include Co-Lead/Subgrants within their campaign. If your application form required this component, the information above would apply.
Voices for Healthy Kids grantees may use grant funds to pay stipends to enable individuals to attend trainings and meetings, recruit grassroots members in key areas, etc.
Please follow these guidelines if providing stipends to community members within your campaign:
Track the number of stipends provided to each individual and do not exceed $500 within one year. Ask your accountant whether tax filings are required.
Do not provide stipends for testifying before a government body, or for engaging in lobbying activity.
Voices for Healthy Kids offers robust resources for technical assistance (TA). All TA requests must be submitted though the online Technical Assistance Portal - https://aha.cherwellondemand.com/CherwellPortal/VFHK. Below are examples of the TA that is offered. Additional information can be found on the Technical Assistance page of the grant management system.
Coalition & Community Engagement
Data Support and Visualization
Decision-Maker Advocacy
Grassroots Engagement
Health Equity and Racial Justice
Legal Review
Local Polling and Focus Groups
Media Advocacy
National Collaborator Engagement
Policy Language Development
Policy Language Review
Research Technical Assistance
Science Review
Subject Matter Expertise
Sustainability and Fundraising
Training and Capacity Building
Translation Services
As part of the grant, technical assistance (TA) is available to grantees as they execute their campaign plans. TA can include support on media advocacy materials, polling, grassroots, factsheets, issue briefs, as well as other campaign materials created through the grant.
Voices for Healthy Kids needs to review and approve key materials and elements associated with the campaign including the following:
Legislation, regulation and executive action language – all proposed legislation, rules and executive action language needs to be reviewed by Voices for Healthy Kids prior to submission, ensuring the language meets the policy goals supported by the grant.
Heart and/or health science and statistics - all materials which include heart and/or health science need to be reviewed by the American Heart Association Science and Medicine Advisors. See the process for science review later in this document.
Other science / data pertaining to economic impact, safety, etc. does not need Voices for Healthy Kids approval; however, attestations should be given to the source.
Voices for Healthy Kids brand – any reference to Voices for Healthy Kids or the American Heart Association needs to be approved.
Materials that require review, as well as any additional materials that grantees wish for feedback on, should be submitted through the Technical Assistance Portal. All final materials need to be included with your final report to close out your grant.
Examples of materials needing science review include, but are not limited to, materials with health statistical information, those that cite specific studies or research, etc. Please consult your Consultant with any questions.
The following are examples of materials that Voices for Healthy Kids is happy to provide guidance and feedback on:
Flyers
Educational documents and materials
Media buys and communication products (include major social media products)
Polls and surveys (see next section for additional information)
Fact sheets
Grassroots messages/activities
Draft legislation and amendments (Required Approval)
Voices for Healthy Kids has a science review process in place to ensure that emerging science is correctly translated and that all materials are firmly rooted in the American Heart Association’s tradition of rigorous review. This service is provided at no cost to all IEE leads but is only required if you are co-branding a resource with Voices for Healthy Kids. Please reach out to voicesforhealthykids@heart.org to learn more about Science Review before finalizing your resource.
TIMELINE – please build in at least one month before release date for approvals.
Items must first be reviewed by Voices for Healthy Kids marketing and communications team for content, messaging and framing alignment. (1 – 2 weeks)
Upon branding approval, items must meet science approval. (Minimum 2 weeks)
Edits required by Science Review will add additional time in the approval process.
For more information, read the Science Review Guidelines.
NOTE: items that need legal review (i.e., lobbying, controversial topics) will need an additional 1 week.
Co-branded items must meet certain criteria before creation
Does it align with AHA science position and evidence criteria?
Does it align with AHA messaging and framing?
Does it need legal review? (Lobbying or an issue from a branding perspective)
Does it need accessibility review?
Is this something that will be promoted widely?
Public opinion research (i.e., polls, surveys, focus groups) may be a useful tool for advocacy campaigns. This type of research can help campaigns best understand how the public thinks about, talks about and processes information related to the campaign. Public opinion research can help campaigns understand how to best craft messages to engage the public in a conversation about the issue.
If approved as part of your grant budget, Voices for Healthy Kids Grantees may use grant dollars for public opinion research. A TA request must be submitted in the Voices for Healthy Kids TA Portal to review polling concept and strategy before polling begins. This is recommended early in the process before selecting a polling vendor or as questions are being developed.
Voices for Healthy Kids staff will provide strategic guidance as you design and implement your opinion research projects. Once your grant has been approved, work with your Consultant to discuss your proposed research project and to learn about the requirements for using grant funds for opinion research. We strongly recommend that you begin your project early to ensure the most value add to your campaign. Grantees can start this process by submitting a technical assistance request in the Technical Assistance Portal.
Grantee Branding
Grantee use of any Voices for Healthy Kids logo is limited, and requests will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis. Grantees may not use any Voices for Healthy Kids logo or American Heart Association logo without explicit approval.
If material has been partially funded by Voices for Healthy Kids, a credit line may be used. If a grantee would like to use a credit line, they must obtain approval in advance and the material or product must be submitted for review in the Technical Assistance Portal. The following is an example of a credit line:
· This message was funded in part by a grant from Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the American Heart.”
About Voices for Healthy Kids Branding
To review the complete branding guide, click here.
The full name (Voices for Healthy Kids) must always be used. Abbreviations such as “VFHK” are NOT permitted. The registered trademark symbol (®) must be used at the end of Voices for Healthy Kids the first time the name is used in text in a document. Subsequent uses within the same document do not require a registration mark.
Voices for Healthy Kids may be referred to as an “initiative,” but not an “organization” or any term that implies a status of an independent organization. For example: “Voices for Healthy Kids® is an initiative of the American Heart Association, that works around the country to improve or create equitable policies that will make the places kids live, learn and play healthier. Voices for Healthy Kids will empower advocates to take action in their communities and improve health of children across the nation.”
The recommended initiative descriptor is: “Voices for Healthy Kids is an initiative of the American Heart Association working to improve or create equitable policies that will make the places kids, live, learn and play healthier.”
Voices for Healthy Kids announces newly funded grantees after a funding cycle has concluded and provides a list of active grantees on our website. Grantees will only be listed if permission is provided by the grantee. Permission is sought during the application process. If at any time a grantee wishes to be removed from the website, please send the request in writing to the Senior Grants Administrator. Grantees are encouraged to promote their receipt of a grant award. Voices for Healthy Kids will provide template materials to help with promotion, including a customizable press release, messaging and social media content, should a grantee choose to promote their award.
Consultants will work with Grantees to support effective approaches to launching their campaigns in a way that engages grassroots and community support to strengthen the coalition’s capacity and to build momentum for the campaign. You can find template materials for announcing your grant in the grant management system page, Grantee Onboarding.
When asked if a campaign is funded, all grantees should acknowledge that they receive funding from Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the American Heart Association.
Example: The XYZ coalition is pleased to receive support from Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the American Heart Association.
You may use your funding under the legal budget line item to hire any lawyer with expertise in nonprofit advocacy issues. As part of an innovative approach to legal compliance, Voices for Healthy Kids requires all grantees to allocate five percent of their grant to pay for a lawyer. We do this for the following reasons:
We want grantees to know where the lobbying line is, so they can conduct all the activities that are legally permissible with non-lobbying funds. We also want to help you to maximize your non-lobbying activities, so you can save your lobbying funds for when they are needed most. This ensures your organization is as effective as possible; and
Voices for Healthy Kids funding is intended to strengthen your organization’s capacity, including its legal compliance functions. You may use your legal funds to address any organizational legal needs. By helping you to understand the line between lobbying and non-lobbying activity, and addressing any unresolved legal issues, the program aims to enhance your ability to secure grants from other funders in the future.
While you may use your funding to hire any lawyer with expertise in nonprofit advocacy issues, Voices for Healthy Kids grantees often retain Allen Mattison, a partner at Trister, Ross, Schadler & Gold, PLLC. Allen represents many Voices for Healthy Kids grantees, enabling him to serve our grantees more efficiently and effectively than would someone with less involvement in this project. AHA grantees have access to AHA’s internal legal team as well as to Allen Mattison.
Regardless of which lawyer you use, Voices for Healthy Kids requires all grantees to have their campaign plan and budget reviewed by Allen. This call will be coordinated as part of all new grantee onboarding. You can find more information about this required one-hour call on the grant management system page, Grantee Onboarding and in your award notification email.
One of the benefits of being a Voices for Healthy Kids grantee is the resources you are provided, including legal budget allocations. While most grantees focus their legal spending on efforts to maximize their non-lobbying advocacy, grantees may also use the funds to address other core organizational issues such as bylaws, IRS form 990 review and employment-law matters. To learn how the funding can make you a more attractive applicant for future grants from other funders, talk to your Consultant or to your legal counsel.
The legal contingency approved in your application is not allowed to be reallocated. You must use these funds for legal support or return them to Voices for Healthy Kids at the end of your grant period.