Juanita C. Grant
Juanita C. Grant, M.S.W.
Juanita C. Grant Foundation

Established in 2013, the Juanita C. Grant, Inc., is a national non-profit whose sole mission is to eradicate the health disparities in diverse populations. By educating the public on how to take charge of their individual health and teach them how to safeguard the health of their community, the Juanita C. Grant Foundation will help reduce community deterioration, improve social welfare, and provide relief to the poor, distressed and underprivileged. 

The Juanita C. Grant Foundation was created by her youngest daughter, S. Orlene Grant in loving memory of her Mother. Mrs. Grant is also survived by her other three children, Attorney Gwendolen J. Grant, Anita Zoe Hamilton and Dr. Richard E. Grant. Mrs. Grant was an African American woman who championed for the betterment of her community. Mrs. Grant over came huge odds after losing her mother at age 11 and in an era of rare scholarship support for ambitious self directed African American students pursuing advanced degrees. Mrs. Grant finished the public school system in Terre Haute and went on to complete an Bachelors of Arts Degree at the local branch of Indiana State College. She worked as a substitute teacher for approximately 2 years in the elementary schools when she heard of Atlanta University School of Social Work. After writing regarding the possibilities of scholarships, Mrs. Grant received a partial scholarship to attend Ball State in Indiana and completed her Master’s of Science in Social Work.   

At the beginning of the Civil Rights era, Mrs. Grant was a bold and unique voice who sought equality in Gary, Indiana. By pooling resources and developing programs that reflected the needs and desires of the individuals that lived there, Mrs. Grant transformed her community, the ripple effect of her work is still evident today.  Mrs. Grant co-founded and established the Jack and Jill of America Inc. chapter in Gary.  She was also instrumental in organizing the local Girl Scouts, the Brownies and supporting the community outreach activities of the " settlement house "on East side for arts and dance.  Specifically, Juanita C. Grant worked with her husband, Dr. Benjamin F. Grant a practicing physician and surgeon and co-chair of the Gary NAACP Chapter to lobby local hospitals to allow African-American doctors admitting privileges; encouraged community based organizations to solve local problems by leveraging existing resources; and fought to build a pipeline of community leaders. The foundation, named in her honor, carries on Mrs. Grant’s legacy of building coalitions between community members and the services and programs they need to thrive. 

The foundation will seek grants from federal, state and local organizations to improve community involvement in improving access to health care for the underserved, provide outreach activities to specific groups empowering them with education to address health disparities, improve communications on health related and broad social issues. These grants will center on leveraging existing resources in the community to develop long term sustainable solution to access to health care, public awareness of health issues and preventative health measure and bringing business, government and community together for large scale strategic interventions. 

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