Delta Dental of Iowa and its foundation committed $4.1 million to 261 organizations to address oral and overall health needs in 2023, the company announced.
The past year marked 21 years of giving for the not-for-profit insurance company and its Foundation, with a total investment of $68 million toward improving the health and well-being of Iowans since 2002.
“At Delta Dental of Iowa, we believe that everyone deserves to be healthy,” said April Schmaltz, Delta Dental of Iowa president and CEO. “We recognize the challenges some Iowans face in accessing the resources they need to achieve this, which is why we partner with organizations that share our goal to support healthy smiles, healthy vision, and healthier lives.”
Delta Dental focuses its giving on programs that strengthen the connections between oral and overall health, support healthy activities and healthy communities, and improve the social and emotional well-being of Iowans.
Where Delta invested
Highlights of projects and grant programs in 2023 include:
- Awarded one FIND (Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists) Loan Repayment recipient in Story City, Iowa.
- System and Capacity Building Grants totaling more than $1.9 million, which included $1.1 million to Vision To Learn for a second mobile vision clinic to provide vision screenings and exams at schools.
- More than $674,000 in Community of Health grants to 25 organizations working to encourage new learnings, strengthen nonprofit operations, or initiate larger oral and overall health projects.
- Invested nearly $300,000 for the Rethink Your Drink program, which provided 19 Iowa schools and 23 communities with water bottle filling stations. Since 2017, Delta Dental and partners have provided $2.2 million for the Rethink Your Drink program, installing 459 filling stations in Iowa schools and communities.
- Hosted a free, volunteer-led vision clinic in Cedar Rapids in partnership with OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, Prevent Blindness Iowa, and Eastern Iowa Health Center. The clinic provided no-cost vision screenings and exams for 428 patients and 384 free pairs of glasses. Delta Dental of Iowa serves 1.6 million members to provide dental, vision, legal, life and caregiving benefits.
