VOA Futures Fund Community Health Incubator
Accelerating health equity through community partnership
Fully-funded 14-week accelerator with partnership opportunities for ventures in community health
Volunteers of America (VOA), one of the nation's largest and most experienced nonprofit providers of housing, health, and human services, launched this first-of-its-kind Incubator to accelerate social enterprises that improve quality, equity, and access to care for Medicaid and at-risk populations. Sponsored by the Humana Foundation, the VOA Futures Fund Community Health Incubator powered by SEED SPOT supports early-stage entrepreneurship that develops innovative products and services for equitable community health outcomes.
Leveraging VOA’s vast portfolio of assets–16,000 employees, 400 communities, 22,000+ units of affordable housing, 15+ senior healthcare facilities, 2 million people served annually, hundreds of programs and service models–this 14-week program will benefit founders through expert business training, tailored mentorship and collaboration with the VOA network while tackling the most challenging community health disparities. This is a fully funded opportunity with non-dilutive grants and the potential follow-on investment of up to $200,000.
Key Programmatic Highlights
Business Skills
Participants test, pilot, and scale their ventures through interactive workshops and customized mentorship from health industry experts and business leaders.
Partnerships
Participating ventures are introduced to prospective partner representatives from the Humana Foundation and Volunteers of America (VOA) network. Founders are guided through the partnership development and scoping process.
Funding
Founders receive a $15,000 non-dilutive capacity grant for participating in the Incubator. An additional $10,000 may be accessed for implementation pilots with VOA Affiliates. Graduates are eligible for follow-on investments of up to $200,000.
Showcase
All ventures will have the opportunity to give a pitch about their company during the final Showcase. There are also potential occasions to pitch to various affinity groups during and after programming who might be interested in the product/service.
Incubator Impact
Over the past three cohorts, the Community Health Incubator has generated 17 alumni ventures and created extraordinary success!
41%
Secured VOA Affiliate Pilots/Partnerships
$150k
Invested
$400K
Non-diluted Grants Distributed
What To Expect
Important dates
- The priority deadline is January 21, 2025. The final application deadline is March 3, 2025.
- The program will kick off with a virtual orientation and meet and greet, on May 7, 2025.
- All participants must attend the Volunteers of America National Conference in Indianapolis, IN, June 7 through 10, 2025. Travel costs of up to $1,700 will be covered per venture.
- The program runs from May 7 to August 26, 2025.
- The large-scale showcase will be held on August 19, 2025.
Additional Incubator Outcomes
- Prepare for venture capital by fine-tuning your fundraising strategy with guidance from investors.
- Join a community of diverse founders committed to social impact, including 900+ creating innovations in health and wellness.
- Leverage a national network through lifetime Alumni Program benefits such as mentorship, funding resources, and legal support.
- Develop a strategic growth plan with experts, including developing sales strategies, increasing marketing capabilities.
- Multiply your impact to better support your community.
Who Should Apply
This program is designed for entrepreneurs creating innovations toward community health equity. Innovations can range from apps that provide culturally sensitive medical advice to a meal service for the elderly. Both for profit and nonprofit enterprises are supported through the Community Health Incubator.
Eligibility criteria:
- The solution has reached a minimum viable product with demonstrated traction.
- There is a clear value proposition for VOA partnership.
- A strong preference is given to businesses able to agilely partner with VOA Affiliates in California, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, or Texas.
- Focus issue areas include solutions supporting seniors, veterans, youth, unhoused, and/or working in mental and behavioral health.
MEET INCUBATOR ALUMNI
The emphasis on effectively communicating the business concept and breaking it down for easy understanding was incredibly valuable. The program’s strong focus on partnerships and the substantial support provided for making key introductions set it apart from other accelerators and incubators I’ve experienced."
- Kayla Wright-Jackson, Co-Founder/CEO, Transition
Transition is a workforce development platform bridging the gap between healthcare training and employment.
About Volunteers of America Futures Fund
Launched in 2018 as a subsidiary of Volunteers of America Inc., The Futures Fund is a social impact investment fund that supports the development and expansion of high impact health, housing, and social service models and enterprises within Volunteers of America and as joint-venture partnerships with external community health entrepreneurs.
The Futures Fund provides catalytic capital, training, and coaching to test new ideas, launch social enterprises, and expand successful service lines that improve the social determinants of health.
To date, VOA’s Futures Fund has invested over $3.1M in a portfolio that spans 40 communities in 22 states, in six key domain areas: Early childhood development, Healthcare, Youth, Food Security, Economic Empowerment, and Housing Stability.
Let's talk about your community health venture!
Connect with Miranda Williamson, SEED SPOT Director of Recruitment, to discuss the program's fit for your unique business needs!