ANN ARBOR, MICH. – The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan is one of three social services agencies to be selected by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to receive technical assistance while developing and launching a first-time Pay for Success (PFS) program model – efforts that connect government funding directly to outcomes. The Foundation’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) will benefit from this additional support, allowing the Foundation to enhance the implementation of DPP in six counties in southeast and west Michigan.
In 2016 LISC received a $1.33 million grant from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a federal program of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). LISC is using a portion of this funding to help the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan design their PFS program. PFS program efforts are funded upfront through loans, grants or other private-sector investments with insurers, and/or government providing payment for successful outcomes as specific benchmarks are met. LISC will help the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan structure their PFS program, raise private capital and develop the capacity and infrastructure to produce the metrics needed to demonstrate results.
“We are honored to be one of three organizations to work with LISC to develop a Pay for Success program,” said National Kidney Foundation of Michigan senior vice president and chief science officer Dr. Art Franke. “Their support will assist us in our continued efforts to combat the diabetes epidemic in Michigan through the Diabetes Prevention Program, and we’re eager to provide the program at a higher capacity to those who would benefit from it the most.”
DPP is a year-long program designed for those at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, with the goal that participants will adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Trained lifestyle coaches help participants work towards losing five to seven percent of their body weight through healthy eating and participating in 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan’s diabetes division, the Diabetes Prevention Center, will ramp up their implementation of DPP in high-risk, urban communities in the following six counties: Genesee, Kent, Macomb, Muskegon, Oakland and Wayne. Low-income individuals in these counties, particularly people of color, are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Also, in these six counties, nearly 1.4 million adults over the age of 18 are living with prediabetes – a condition where people have higher than normal blood glucose levels, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes. People with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It’s estimated that 2.6 million Michiganders are affected by prediabetes.
“DPP is an innovative program that scales a proven medical intervention to serve a larger, underserved population in Michigan,” said Lois Nembhard, Acting Director of the Social Innovation Fund. “The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan’s initiative to reduce the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is a pioneering use of the Pay for Success model and we’re thrilled that more people in Michigan will be able to benefit from this nutrition and wellness program that improves the long-term health outcomes of residents and reduces future health care costs.”
Since its inception in 2009, the SIF has grown into nearly a $1 billion social impact incubator within the federal government, creating public-private partnerships that deliver high-impact, community-based solutions that work. As a result of $341 million in federal grants and more than $672 million in non-federal match commitments, the SIF has awarded 51 grants to grant making institutions supporting more than 490 non-profits working in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan has full-recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a DPP provider, and has the most experience and expertise delivering the program in Michigan. Since 2012, the Foundation has offered the program to over 1,250 people state-wide, resulting in an average participant weight loss of 6.1 percent and a participant average of 183 physical activity minutes per week. Nearly 90 percent of DPP participants are confident in their ability to eat healthier and to exercise the recommended amount of time after completing the first four months of the program.
About LISC
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) equips struggling communities with the capital, program strategy and know-how to become places where people can thrive. It combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources. Since 1980, LISC has invested $16 billion to build or rehab 350,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 55 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. LISC
About the Social Innovation Fund
The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages millions of Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads the nation’s volunteer and service efforts. The SIF positions the federal government to be a catalyst for impact—using public and private resources to find and grow community-based nonprofits with evidence of results. The SIF focuses on overcoming challenges confronting low-income Americans in three areas of priority need: economic opportunity, healthy futures, and youth development. Social Innovation Fund (SIF)
