Sapphire Awards Guidelines

Go to the application portal

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Since 2005, Florida Blue Foundation has recognized outstanding programs, organizations, and individuals that are focused on helping people and communities achieve better health. Since that first year, 139 Sapphire Awards, totaling $7 million, have been awarded.

The 2024 Sapphire Awards will highlight and honor, through a competitive external review process, outstanding programs, organizations, and individuals that excel at one or more of the following:

• Focus at a hyper-local level on improving physical health, mental well-being, or access to health care and/or health care services.
• Build cross-sectional collaborations and partnerships at the local level to help achieve goals and outcomes that improve either the physical health or mental well-being of the residents of local communities.
• Leverage local resources and relationships to impact and amplify long-lasting change within communities by improving access to health and/or health care services.
• Create innovative solutions that both address local health-related issues and may be successfully replicated in other communities.
• Demonstrate clear and impactful results in improved access to health care and/or health outcomes.
• Focus on one or more of the three priority areas of the Foundation—Health Equity, Mental Well-being, or Food Security.

Examples of local solutions for local issues could include: a mobile outreach clinic serving the specific needs of the local population; an alliance of organizations in a community, engaging representation from civic organizations, educational institutions, residents, and others, coming together to solve an issue that improves the health of the local population; or an innovative program that provides access to food in rural communities.

AWARD DETAILS

The Sapphire Awards are not a grant program. While there is a financial award, nomination applications should not be submitted with the sole intent of fundraising. The Sapphire Awards are designed to recognize what has been accomplished (demonstrated success), not what is hoped to be accomplished.

Award funds total up to $525,000 and will be distributed to the awardees based on the level of recognition and announced at the Sapphire Awards dinner and program on April 3, 2024.

SAPPHIRE AWARD NOMINATION APPLICATION CLARIFICATION WEBINAR

The Sapphire Award Nomination Application Clarification Webinar is available to be viewed at your convenience.

IMPORTANT DATES

NOMINATION APPLICATION ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

Nomination Application Categories

• Program
• Organization
• Individual

Nominated Programs

• Programs named as “First Place Winners” of the Sapphire Awards in previous years for the impact of a single health-related program are not eligible to reapply for the same program. These First Place Winners may submit a nomination application seeking recognition for a different program.
• An Organization seeking recognition for a single health-related pogram should submit a PROGRAM nomination application.
• Organizations submitting a Program application for a Sapphire Award must be incorporated in the state of Florida and the programs for which they are seeking recognition, either individually or collectively, must be currently conducted in the state of Florida.
• The nominated program must be in operation for a minimum of three years.
• Organizations submitting a Program nomination application must possess exemption by the Internal Revenue Service under section 501(c)(3), or be a unit of Florida government (e.g., county health department, K-12 school, college, university, etc.).
• Program nomination applications must include two References from non-staff people such as current/former patients/clients, community leaders, elected officials, funders, or representatives from partner agencies/organizations. Spouses and family members of staff may not be references, nor nominators.
• Type III Supporting Organizations and private foundations are not eligible to submit a nomination application in any category.

Nominated Organizations

• Organizations named as “First Place Winners” of the Sapphire Awards in previous years for the collective impact of all their health-related programs are not eligible to submit another ORGANIZATION nomination application. They may submit an INDIVIDUAL nomination application or a PROGRAM nomination application if the two potential nominees have not been named First Place Winners.
• An Organization may submit a Sapphire Award nomination application to seek recognition for the colective impact of all its health-related services and interventions.
• An Organization seeking recognition for a single health-related program should submit a PROGRAM nomination application.
• Organizations submitting applications for a Sapphire Award must be incorporated in the state of Florida and the programs for which they are seeking recognition, either individually or collectively, must be currently conducted in the state of Florida.
• The nominated organization must be in operation for a minimum of five years.
• Organizations applying for a Sapphire Award (all categories) must possess exemption by the Internal Revenue Service under section 501(c)(3), or be a unit of Florida government (e.g., county health department, K-12 school, college, university, etc.).
• Organization nomination applications must include two References from non-staff people such as current/former patients/clients, community leaders, elected officials, funders, or representatives from partner agencies/organizations. Spouses and family members of staff may not be references, nor nominators.
• Type III Supporting Organizations and private foundations are not eligible to submit a nomination application in any category.

Nominated Individuals

• Individuals named as “First Place Winners” of the Sapphire Awards in previous years are not eligible for nomination for another Sapphire Award.
• Nominated Individuals must be licensed health care professionals, administrators, or volunteers who have worked and/or volunteered in the state of Florida with “qualified” health-serving organizations that are physically located in Florida. Qualified health-serving organizations must be a 501(c)(3) organization, or a unit of Florida government (e.g., county health department, K-12 school, college, university, etc.).
• Nominated Individuals must have a proven record of more than five years of work, expertise, and accomplishments in the field.
• Can be active or retired.
• Must be alive and a resident of Florida at the time the nomination application is submitted. Posthumous nomination applications will not be considered.
• Individuals may be nominated
• For their work as a professional, service as a volunteer, or a combination of both, and the nomination should focus heavily on the individual’s professional work and/or volunteer service performed in Florida.
• For a career that spans more than one organization or community, with a focus on Florida.
• By a peer, colleague, co-worker, staff member, board member, volunteer, patient, client from the organization where the individual works and/or volunteers, or from separate organizations. Spouses and family members may not be nominators nor references for the individual category.
• Self-nomination applications for the individual category will not be accepted.
• Nominations from spouses and family members will not be accepted.
• Organizations submitting an Individual nomination application must possess exemption by the Internal Revenue Service under section 501(c)(3), or be a unit of Florida government (e.g., county health department, K-12 school, college, university, etc.).
• Nomination applications for individuals must include two References from people who know the work of the individual. The references may come from two non-staff people, including, a board member, volunteer, patient, client from the organization where the individual works and/or volunteers, community leaders, elected officials, funders, or representatives from partner agencies/organizations. Spouses and family members of the individual and staff may not be references.
• Type III Supporting Organizations and private foundations are not eligible to submit a nomination application in any category.

SPECIAL NOTES

• Organizations may submit one nomination application per category. However, large organizations that have many divisions—like a university, college, hospital—may submit only one nomination per category. If you are with a university, college, hospital, or other entity with multiple affiliates located across the state, please reach out to your development office or foundation to determine which nomination to submit.
• Current and former employees, retirees, and board members of the Florida Blue Foundation, Florida Blue (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida), the subsidiaries and affiliates of Florida Blue and GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation, as well as spouses and family members, cannot be nominated nor serve as a nominator or reference. Additionally, current and former members of the Sapphire Awards Review and Selection Committees, as well as their spouses and family members, cannot be nominated, submit a nomination or serve as a reference.
• Spouses and family members of individuals to be nominated may not be a nominator nor a reference.
• Spouses and family members of the staff of programs and organizations to be nominated may not be a nominator nor a reference.
• Florida Blue Foundation does not make grants or charitable contributions to organizations that discriminate in their provisions of goods and services based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, sex, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or marital status.
• All chosen finalists must be available for interviews and recording by the Foundation and must be present at the Sapphire Awards program and dinner on April 3, 2024.

SUBMITTING A NOMINATION APPLICATION

The Florida Blue Foundation uses an online application process. After you have read/printed/saved the 2024 Sapphire Awards Nomination Application Guidelines, please access the online application portal to start a new Program, Organization, or Individual nomination application; access an existing nomination application that you opened, created, or saved; or submit a completed nomination application.

Individuals who wish to submit a nomination and prefer to not nominate under their organization name, or who are retired or between jobs, should send an email to floridabluefoundation@floridablue.com with subject line: Sapphire Award Nomination by Individual. Include in the email the following information for the Nominator: Full Name, Email, Mailing Address, and Phone. You will receive an email from the grant administrator with information you will need to access the application portal.

QUESTIONS

Please direct questions to:

Email: floridabluefoundation@floridablue.com

Phone:  800-477-3736, ext. 63215.