GSK, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey Issue Call for Applications Totaling $400,000 in GSK IMPACT Awards

Local Nonprofits Contributing to a Healthier Community Encouraged to Apply for Ten $40,000 Awards

PHILADELPHIA, May 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- GlaxoSmithKline (@GSKUS) and United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (@PhillySJUnited) today issued the call for applications for the GSK IMPACT Awards. This annual awards program will honor up to ten local nonprofit organizations with $40,000 each in recognition of their exceptional achievements in contributing to a healthier Greater Philadelphia Region.

"Where we live matters to our health," said Katie Loovis, Director, US Community Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement, GSK. "Through the GSK IMPACT Awards, we will find and honor some of the most outstanding local nonprofit organizations that are leading the difficult and often thankless work of making our community a healthier place to live."

The GSK IMPACT Awards honor innovative and collaborative nonprofit organizations with evidence-informed programs that are helping people – especially underserved populations – live healthier lives, and contributing to the health of the Greater Philadelphia Region. GSK IMPACT Awards is one of several charitable programs GSK offers in the U.S. as part of a commitment to building healthier communities and a healthy America. This is the 18th year of the program, and new this year - GSK is proud to partner with United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) in the administration of the awards.

"The opportunity to work with GSK in the administration of the GSK IMPACT Awards is a great example of the power of collaboration," said Jill M. Michal, president and CEO, UWGPSNJ. "These awards will allow local nonprofit organizations to build healthier communities, which benefits our entire region and creates impact that none of us can achieve alone."

Eligibility: Eligible organizations include small, mid-size, or large nonprofits with existing programs that have demonstrated results; that are operating in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and/or Philadelphia Counties; and that address at least one of the following factors that affect health: 1) Diet & Exercise, 2) Education, 3) Built Environment, 4) Employment, and 5) Family & Social Support. To view additional criteria and to apply, visit www.gskimpact-us.com. The application deadline is Friday, June 6, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Interested applicants are invited to participate in a conference call on Thursday, May 22, 2014 from 2:00 p.m.2:45 p.m. ET and can register here. For questions, contact UWGPSNJ at [email protected].

Selection Process: GSK and UWGPSNJ staff review applications and select no more than 20 finalists (spring/summer). A panel comprised of local and national community health experts and GSK representatives perform site visits, evaluate the finalist applications, and select up to ten winners (summer/fall). The winners will be notified in the fall and presented with their GSK IMPACT Award and $40,000 each at a ceremony at GSK's new facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in late 2014.

Past Winners: In 2013, more than 50 applications were submitted and judges selected seven GSK IMPACT Award Winners. Learn about the 2013 Winners, view photos, watch the 3-minute highlight reel of the awards ceremony, and find out how you can get involved in the award-winning work to build a healthier community.

The History of GSK IMPACT Awards:  For nearly twenty years, GSK has honored outstanding nonprofit organizations that are improving health in and around our U.S. corporate campuses in Durham, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with GSK IMPACT Awards. The name 'IMPACT' derives from the focus that winners must be: Innovative, Measured, Partnered, Accountable, Community-centered, and Transformative. To date, 173 exemplary U.S.-based nonprofits have been honored with $6,920,000 in GSK IMPACT Awards in both the Greater Philadelphia and Research Triangle Regions. The GSK IMPACT Awards for Greater Philadelphia was launched in 1997 and since then we have honored 136 nonprofit programs with $5,440,000. The GSK IMPACT Awards for the Triangle Region was launched in 2009, and since then we have recognized 37 exemplary local nonprofits with $1,480,000 in GSK IMPACT Awards. In 2013, the GSK IMPACT Awards were redesigned to align with our efforts to explore what it means and what it takes to be a healthy community. Eligibility expanded to nonprofit programs that promote healthy lifestyles, advance educational outcomes, and address other determinants of our health. This focus on healthy communities continues in 2014.

Background on Healthy Communities: As part of GSK's longstanding commitment to building healthy communities, in 2012, the company launched a national initiative designed to better understand the barriers and identify opportunities for building healthier communities in the United States. This initiative included a series of events, called "Conversations on Community Health," which were held in three cities: Philadelphia (September 2012), St. Louis (December 2012), and Denver (February 2013); a National Advisory Council convening in New York City (February 2013), and the release of a national survey (March 2013). Phase one uncovered new insights about what it means, and what it takes to build a healthy community.  Phase two, which includes the launch of the new GSK IMPACT Grants and the redesign of the GSK IMPACT Awards, leverages that knowledge and demonstrates innovative ways local organizations and businesses can work together to make a meaningful difference for healthier communities.

About United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, serving communities in Pennsylvania's Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey's Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May and Cumberland counties, is part of a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and in people's lives. United Way engages the community to identify the underlying causes of the most significant local issues, develops strategies and pulls together financial and human resources to address them, and measures the results. United Way is advancing the common good in Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey by positively impacting the lives of people throughout the region in the areas of education, income, and health. For more information about United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey visit www.UnitedForImpact.org.

About GSK
GSK – one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information go to us.gsk.com, follow us on twitter.com/GSKUS or visit our blog (www.morethanmedicine.us.gsk.com/blog/).
Join the conversations online @GSKUS #GSKimpact

SOURCE GlaxoSmithKline