Frequently asked questions

The best way to contact the Foundation is to e-mail your specific question(s) to the Foundation at this address: connectionsforcardiovascularhealth@astrazeneca.com.

Simply click on the "apply online" link on the Foundation’s main page to access the online application page. If you’re a first time applicant, click on “Begin a new application” to start the online application process. You will be guided through a series of questions that will help define your proposal, starting with a section entitled, “Are You Eligible?” At any time before submitting your Foundation grant application, you will be able to save your session, log out, and return to it at a later time. You may print out a preview of the 2013 Application from the application log in page.

To print a copy of the application questions, click on the "apply online" link.

• Once you are in the application, look at the top, right hand corner of page one. There is a “Need Help?” link.
• Click on that “Need Help?” link and a new page will open.
• Click the “Application Support” link. At this point, another pop-up window will open.
• Towards the middle of the page, click on the “Print out the PDF version of the application.”

You may also print out a preview of application questions or a sample application from the application log in page.

Please be sure to complete and submit the application form online.

To be considered for a Foundation grant, organizations must be US-based, nonprofit organizations with a 501(c) designation or public schools, government entities, or municipal institutions that are eligible to accept tax-deductable, charitable contributions. Organizations that have a 509(a)(3) designation are ineligible for funding unless the application is for a previously-funded Connections for Cardiovascular Health program. The organization should be engaged in charitable work at the community level in the United States in support of the Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health program mission. Additional eligibility requirements are detailed in the online application under its “Are You Eligible?” section.

The Foundation does not support

• Cardiovascular initiatives outside the US or its territories
• Individuals
• For-profit organizations
• Endowments
• Journals or advertising
• Political causes, lobbying, fraternal, or social organizations
• Religious organizations whose activities are not open to the general public
• Nonprofit organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, gender, creed, culture, age, national origin, physical disability, sexual orientation, or status as a military veteran
• Applications that exclusively fund awareness or media campaigns
• Capital investments or unsolicited capital campaigns
• Research or clinical trials

Additional program restrictions are detailed in the online application under the “Are You Eligible?” section.

The minimum yearly request is $150,000.

Yes. Both single year and multi-year applications are considered. The maximum program duration is three years with a minimum yearly request of $150,000.

Please note that only extraordinary applications will be considered for multi-year funding. Multi-year funding is allowable up to a maximum of three years per program, but there is no guarantee of funding beyond the initial awarded year. Multi-year program applicants who are approved for Foundation grant awards in the initial awarded year must still reapply for funding in subsequent years. For this reason, multi-year program applicants should design program initiatives where results are independent from year to year and not dependent on previous year’s activity or future plans.

Applications are reviewed and awarded once each year. Foundation grant awardees will be notified no later than November, and funds will be distributed to the recipient organizations by December, 2013. All other applicants will be notified via e-mail by November that their applications were not accepted for funding.

Organizations whose applications are chosen for funding will be contacted in the fall and will be asked to review and approve a Letter of Agreement that will include specific, periodic reporting requirements for the duration of the program. Additional information about content, format, and deadlines for these reports will be provided at that time.

Funding will be disbursed prior to the end of the year. Grant activities, including planning, are expected to begin as soon as the funds are released. The funds are to be spent based on the budget submitted with the application, and programs are expected to complete by December the following year.

Grants are publically announced in the media in February.

Yes. Funding can be used for any program that supports the Connections for Cardiovascular Health mission of improving cardiovascular health in the United States and meets eligibility criteria.

No. Grant requests of this type should not be made through the Foundation’s program. Requestors of medical education should contact AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals through its Medical Education Grants Office at www.astrazenecagrants.com. To request a research grant, individuals can contact AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals at www.clinicaltrialdoctors.com.

The Foundation does consider programs where multiple organizations are working together toward a common goal on a joint program. The applying organization should be both the fiscal agent and the managing partner for the duration of the grant.

Since its establishment in 1993, the Foundation has primarily provided support for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Foundation also provides support to the AstraZeneca Employee Disaster Relief Fund, which helps AstraZeneca employees affected by federally-declared disasters in the United States.

Yes. You can apply separately to AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals for a corporate contribution if you are an eligible 501(c) organization. This funding source is separate from the Foundation. The scope of projects funded through AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals’ corporate contributions is broader than the Foundation’s Connections for Cardiovascular Health program, and funding is generally at a level of $10,000 or less. For more information, visit the request a contribution section of our site.

Yes. If the Foundation declines your proposal, you may complete an online application in subsequent years.

All proposals will be reviewed by the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation’s Connections for
Cardiovascular Health Foundation Grant Review Committee and the Foundation Board of Trustees, with the Trustees making the final decision.

Yes. A single organization may submit multiple applications for separate programs, and more than one of these may be funded from the same organization as long as the applications are for different initiatives. Please begin any additional applications with a separate login account in our online application system.

Declined proposals may be resubmitted in subsequent years.

For organizations that received the maximum of three years of Connections for Cardiovascular Health funding for a program, that original program must be ongoing and sustained without Connections for Cardiovascular Health funding in order for the organization to be considered for a subsequent, different program.

No. Each year’s proposals are evaluated based on their individual merits relative to all other Foundation grant requests received during the grant cycle.

The Foundation grants can cover direct and/or indirect costs related to and needed for the program. This may include salaries for personnel and professional fees, printing, office supplies, phone/fax charges, travel, and training, etc.

The Connections for Cardiovascular Health program will only consider funding for equipment that is integral to the specific program design and not for equipment that might support other ongoing, routine programs run by the organization. Equipment costs over 30% of the total funding request will not be considered.

Be aware that the online application contains additional specific information regarding program costs.

Award recipients must agree to submit regular progress reports and summaries as set forth in the Foundation’s award letter.

Organizations whose applications are selected for funding will be contacted in the fall and will be asked to review and approve a Letter of Agreement that will include specific, periodic reporting requirements for the duration of the program. Additional information about content, format, and deadlines for these reports will be provided.

We will work with an outside university evaluation partner to assess grant awardees’ program reports. The results of those evaluations will be sent to the grant awardee organizations for review.

Since the Connections for Cardiovascular Health program was first offered, we have discovered that there is a great, ongoing need for cardiovascular programs in communities across the US. In its third year, the Connections for Cardiovascular Health program received over 500 applications for its 2012 program and awarded grants totaling approximately $4.2 million to 22 organizations. Because of the large number of funding requests, not all applications that meet Foundation criteria will receive funding. Also because of the high volume of requests, the Foundation is unable to provide individualized feedback on submitted applications.

For answers to other questions, please send an e-mail to connectionsforcardiovascularhealth@astrazeneca.com.