Last Call For Applications for New Education Grant

Delta Dental AR Foundation to award $500,000 for teaching oral health basics

April 16, 2021

LITTLE ROCK—The best time to see a dentist is at tooth-hurty, and the best time to apply for an education grant from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation is now.

Only two weeks remain for eligible organizations to submit their proposal for projects that teach the basics of good oral hygiene: brushing, flossing and seeing the dentist. Applications are due no later than April 30.

Grants of up to $30,000 each are available to support new educational programs or expand existing ones. The initiatives must include at least one of the three focus areas of flossing, brushing and seeing a dentist regularly. Priority will be given to requests that include all three activities and use evidence-based tools, examples of which are shared by the Foundation in the application process.

This is the first grant the Foundation is offering that focuses exclusively on oral health education, rather than dental treatment.

“Arkansas ranks 48 out of 50 states in oral health with widespread dental decay,” said Chrissy Chatham, the Foundation’s executive director. “We want to concentrate on education because just a few simple habits go a long way toward maintaining healthy teeth and gums that last a lifetime: Floss and brush daily and see the dentist for regular check-ups. We’re offering this grant to empower more Arkansans to learn the basics of good oral hygiene today so they can avoid painful and extensive dental treatment in the future.”

A total of $500,000 will be made available for grants ranging from $2,500 to $30,000.

Eligible applicants include Arkansas-based 501(c)(3) non-profits or community organizations, educational facilities, churches and governmental agencies.

Details, project ideas and the application can be found at https://www.deltadentalar.com/2021-community-education-grant. 

About the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation

The Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation is committed to fulfilling Delta Dental of Arkansas’s mission to improve the oral health of all Arkansans. Since 2015, the Foundation has contributed an average of $1 million per year to local communities to support oral health education, prevention and treatment programs. More information is available at https://www.deltadentalar.com/giving-back/delta-dental-of-arkansas-foundation/about.