Advancing the Primary Healthcare System: H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Announces New Grant Awardees

YEREVAN, Armenia, December 23, 2024 — The H. Hovnanian Family Foundation announces the winners of its quarterly grant call, dedicated to strengthening Armenia’s primary healthcare system. This initiative is critical to improving overall health outcomes and ensuring the long-term well-being of all Armenians, aligning with the state’s primary care reform strategy. The newest grant recipients will carry out programs designed to enhance the primary healthcare system by facilitating the transition to e-Health, strengthening maternal and infant health services, addressing non-communicable diseases and enhancing emergency preparedness in rural areas.

This most recent call for proposals received significant interest from those actively working within the health sector, generating 44 grant project applications for funding consideration. The Foundation team was impressed by the representativeness and diversity of the proposals: “They came from both established and emerging organizations in the health sector spanning Yerevan, the regions, and the U.S., pitching innovative approaches to some of Armenia’s long-standing challenges, making the selection process especially challenging,” shared H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Programs Manager Anahit Hakobyan. The applicants represented a wide spectrum — 19 diaspora-led organizations (43%), 14 local NGOs from both Yerevan and the regions (32%), and 11 public health institutions and regional health centers (25%).

After a thorough review process, the Foundation selected exceptional projects that stood out for their alignment with the Foundation’s strategic goals and their ability to address unique gaps in Armenia’s primary healthcare system that they were deemed to be particularly well-equipped to tackle. Each project demonstrated a clear implementation plan, measurable outcomes, and sustainability, leveraging their expertise and partnerships to deliver impactful and cost-efficient solutions. Together, these projects represent a total investment of around $250,000 USD to advance Armenia's primary healthcare system. The grant awardees are:
National Institute of Health (NIH) will build the digital capacity of 1,200 primary healthcare doctors and nurses across all regions of Armenia in face-to-face sessions, equipping them with digital skills to enhance the adoption of e-Health tools.

Armenian EyeCare Project will establish a H. Hovnanian Family Foundation Diagnostic Eye Clinic within the Goris Health Center. Besides eye care, the Clinic will focus on early detection and management of diabetes-related complications. The clinic’s operations will be integrated into the Goris Health Center’s ongoing services, ensuring sustainability and improved access to diabetes and eye care for residents of the Goris and Sisian communities.

Armenia Peace Initiative will implement first aid preparedness training on the NATO March protocol for health workers and civilians in the borderline communities of Tavush, increasing preparedness by expanding from one trained individual to 20 individuals per village and providing first aid kits to each participant as well as the village’s critical institutions. 

As the Foundation concludes its third quarter grant cycle, it is now shifting its focus on workforce development as its area of focus. Organizations interested in submitting proposals for workforce development initiatives are encouraged to apply by December 31, 2024.

For more information about the grant programs and upcoming focus areas, please visit www.hovnanianfoundation.org.

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Since the Foundation’s establishment in 1986, H. Hovnanian Family Foundation has earmarked over $97 million for hundreds of initiatives and projects for charitable, educational, scientific, cultural, and other related purposes with a primary focus on assisting Armenian communities worldwide as well as organizations in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in the state of New Jersey.