“Family physicians don’t just take care of one patient. They don’t just take care of one family. They take care of the community, and they know what groups are in desperate need.”

As incoming president of the Georgia Healthy Family Alliance (GHFA), Mitzi Rubin, MD, FAAFP, has seen the difference it makes when family physicians have an accessible financial resource to tap as those community needs arise. The GHFA, the foundation of the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians (GAFP), has been providing community health grants for 10 years. The organization began by offering four or five grants per year for projects sponsored by family physicians; the maximum amount granted was $5,000.

“The doctors are our secret sauce,” Rubin says. “Who knows the acute community needs better than family doctors? They’re already involved throughout the community and giving back in so many ways – they serve as Scout leaders, sponsor health fairs, volunteer at free clinics. They give so much. We’re here to help.”

Fay Fulton, executive vice president of the GAFP, says the Georgia team has looked to the AAFP Foundation throughout the years for inspiration and support.

“The Foundation has truly been foundational in our growth,” Fulton says. “Without the ongoing support the Foundation has given us over the years, we wouldn’t have had the legs to stand on as we transformed our organization from an insular foundation into the GHFA.”

Micro grants. Major impact.

The GHFA’s transformation continued when the pandemic hit: The group shifted its approach and began offering immediate need, micro grants of $1,000. The funds have helped people throughout Georgia in a variety of ways, from supporting a local restaurant providing food to hungry children to helping a rural community access hard-to-find baby formula.

“We follow the local footsteps,” Fulton says. “For example, one of our doctors was working with a domestic violence shelter. They needed diapers. How many diapers will $1,000 buy?”

Rubin and Fulton encourage all chapters to learn more about the AAFP Foundation’s Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium, the collaborative group that provides up to $80,000 in annual funding to state chapters and foundations. The money is there, community needs are ever-present, and the benefits are vast.

“We’ve seen a real groundswell of support and interest in Georgia,” Rubin says, “and made wonderful connections with GAFP members, medical students, and residents. Along with helping our communities, we’ve realized another win: The people who participate in the grant projects often become foundation leaders. The grants plant seeds to connectivity in the future.”

What’s working in Georgia could work for you!

• Apply for funding from the AAFP Foundation’s Family Medicine Philanthropic Consortium.
• Don’t hesitate to ask for other funds; the GHFA is supported by GAFP members, hospitals, multi-specialty clinics, local grants, family-based foundations, banks, etc.
• Be willing to start small – micro grants change lives.