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HeartConnect

Transforming lives by connecting children worldwide with life-saving, cardiac solutions.

HeartGift provides life-saving heart surgery to children with congenital heart defects and little to no access to care.

The HeartConnect Program expands HeartGift’s mission to increase global access to life-saving cardiac care for children with congenital heart defects and limited access to treatment. We collaborate with local experts to build or enhance pediatric cardiac programs, connecting healthcare professionals, volunteers, and resources to create sustainable solutions and expand access to specialized care worldwide.

HeartGift connects children worldwide with limited medical and financial resources to life-saving cardiac care. Our approach requires multifaceted efforts, which include managing complex logistics, connecting children to expert medical professionals, providing financial support when local facilities are available, and leveraging strategic partnerships to equip hospitals and medical teams with the proper tools and resources to deliver quality access to care. Our goal is to remove barriers and create sustainable programs that offer long-term solutions and equitable treatment for children in need.

Important Dates:

  • October 7, 2024 Application Opens
  • November 6, 2024 Application Submission Deadline
  • February 2025 Recipients Announced
99
Must be a U.S. based organization with a 501(c)(3) status
99
Support a team(s) of medical professionals traveling abroad to perform direct cardiac care to pediatric patients diagnosed with congenital heart defects
99
Support a program with existing institutions in a country that provide direct cardiac care to pediatric patients diagnosed with congenital heart defects

Allowable expenses

Surgeries
Patient travel
Patient follow-up care
Patient insurance
Medical team airfare
Medical team ground transportation
Medical team lodging
Medical equipment/supplies and shipping
Medication
Medical testing

HeartGift will not fund

Salaries (full-time/part-time)
Care for rheumatic heart disease
Upgraded flights
Expedited or late fees of any kind
Fees for travel documents
Hotel incidentals
Food/beverage/meals
Cell phone/internet, roaming fees
Photography, videography
Scrubs, shirts and clothing for medical teams
Vaccinations
Multi-year requests
Children over the age of 14
Lobbying, political, or religious efforts
Payments/stipends to medical teams (doctors, surgeons, nurses) or board members

Requests cannot equal to more than the following of your annual revenue:

99
Up to $200,000 annual revenue, your request cannot exceed 50%
99
$200,001 - $800,000 annual revenue, your request cannot exceed 45%
99
$800,001 + annual revenue, your request cannot exceed 25%

Request for additional payment to cover any unexpected fees or overages in services will not be granted. This applies to any patient funded by HeartGift.

If funds are not used for the purpose described in the proposal, HeartGift reserves the right to have all remaining funds immediately returned.  If remaining grant funds are not fully used and these funds can be used in other ways to serve more children and it aligns with the mission of HeartGift, the requesting organization will be required to notify HeartGift via email on the use of remaining funds. Prior approval is required.

If HeartGift provides funding for a program that does not explicitly specify the need for monies to cover surgeries or medical interventions, the organization will calculate the cost per child for reimbursement purposes by taking the total amount of funds awarded and dividing it by the number of children the program intends to serve, as indicated in the application.

It is HeartGift’s desire to fund a request in full but may choose to partially fund any request.

To be considered for additional funding, a returning grantee must be in good standing, defined by: adhering to all required communication, obligations, standards, and timelines established by HeartGift.

A written patient report must be submitted within 90 days post-surgery to include:

  • Full name of child
  • Child’s Date of Birth
  • Sex
  • Caregiver name
  • Diagnosis
  • Type of surgery/procedure
  • Date of surgery/procedure
  • Length of hospital stay
  • Pictures (before and after)
  • Operative Summary – Please download and submit using this form.
  • Monthly check-in calls when applicable (medical mission trips before and one month after).
  • Facetime call during mission.
  • If training is taking place while on the trip, a report must be submitted at close of the trip on the number of hours and people that were trained during the trip.
  • Family Social Form is to be completed on 25% of children served, per program. For example: please provide photos, videos, parent/caregiver demographics, profession, family details, and if possible photos of their home/environment/school. We would also like to know how they found the program. Please download and complete using this form.
  • For reporting and counting purposes, a child’s diagnostic catheterization and surgical case shall not be counted as two separate cases. Only unique services provided to each child may be counted as individual cases. An interventional catheterization procedure (i.e., device closure) shall be considered a unique and countable instance of care for the purposes of reporting a child receiving care.

October 7, 2024  Application Opens

November 6, 2024 Application Submission Deadline

February 2025 Recipients Announced

December 2025 Program Completion

NOTE: If selected, 50% of funds will be awarded at notification of award, and remaining 50% will be awarded upon receipt of mid-year grant report, if mid-year metrics are met.

Eligibility
99
Must be a U.S. based organization with a 501(c)(3) status
99
Support a team(s) of medical professionals traveling abroad to perform direct cardiac care to pediatric patients diagnosed with congenital heart defects
99
Support a program with existing institutions in a country that provide direct cardiac care to pediatric patients diagnosed with congenital heart defects
Funding Priorities

Allowable expenses

Surgeries
Patient travel
Patient follow-up care
Patient insurance
Medical team airfare
Medical team ground transportation
Medical team lodging
Medical equipment/supplies and shipping
Medication
Medical testing

HeartGift will not fund

Salaries (full-time/part-time)
Care for rheumatic heart disease
Upgraded flights
Expedited or late fees of any kind
Fees for travel documents
Hotel incidentals
Food/beverage/meals
Cell phone/internet, roaming fees
Photography, videography
Scrubs, shirts and clothing for medical teams
Vaccinations
Multi-year requests
Children over the age of 14
Lobbying, political, or religious efforts
Payments/stipends to medical teams (doctors, surgeons, nurses) or board members
Grant Request Limits

Requests cannot equal to more than the following of your annual revenue:

99
Up to $200,000 annual revenue, your request cannot exceed 50%
99
$200,001 - $800,000 annual revenue, your request cannot exceed 45%
99
$800,001 + annual revenue, your request cannot exceed 25%

Request for additional payment to cover any unexpected fees or overages in services will not be granted. This applies to any patient funded by HeartGift.

If funds are not used for the purpose described in the proposal, HeartGift reserves the right to have all remaining funds immediately returned.  If remaining grant funds are not fully used and these funds can be used in other ways to serve more children and it aligns with the mission of HeartGift, the requesting organization will be required to notify HeartGift via email on the use of remaining funds. Prior approval is required.

If HeartGift provides funding for a program that does not explicitly specify the need for monies to cover surgeries or medical interventions, the organization will calculate the cost per child for reimbursement purposes by taking the total amount of funds awarded and dividing it by the number of children the program intends to serve, as indicated in the application.

It is HeartGift’s desire to fund a request in full but may choose to partially fund any request.

Returning Grantees
To be considered for additional funding, a returning grantee must be in good standing, defined by: adhering to all required communication, obligations, standards, and timelines established by HeartGift.
Reporting Requirements

A written patient report must be submitted within 90 days post-surgery to include:

  • Full name of child
  • Child’s Date of Birth
  • Sex
  • Caregiver name
  • Diagnosis
  • Type of surgery/procedure
  • Date of surgery/procedure
  • Length of hospital stay
  • Pictures (before and after)
  • Operative Summary – Please download and submit using this form.
  • Monthly check-in calls when applicable (medical mission trips before and one month after).
  • Facetime call during mission.
  • If training is taking place while on the trip, a report must be submitted at close of the trip on the number of hours and people that were trained during the trip.
  • Family Social Form is to be completed on 25% of children served, per program. For example: please provide photos, videos, parent/caregiver demographics, profession, family details, and if possible photos of their home/environment/school. We would also like to know how they found the program. Please download and complete using this form.
  • For reporting and counting purposes, a child’s diagnostic catheterization and surgical case shall not be counted as two separate cases. Only unique services provided to each child may be counted as individual cases. An interventional catheterization procedure (i.e., device closure) shall be considered a unique and countable instance of care for the purposes of reporting a child receiving care.
Important Dates

October 7, 2024  Application Opens

November 6, 2024 Application Submission Deadline

February 2025 Recipients Announced

December 2025 Program Completion

NOTE: If selected, 50% of funds will be awarded at notification of award, and remaining 50% will be awarded upon receipt of mid-year grant report, if mid-year metrics are met.

Grant Application Form

HeartGift’s mission is to provide life-saving congenital heart defect surgery to children around the world where medical treatment is scarce or nonexistent.