BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama is making $250,000 in grant money available to schools located in Alabama that present plans designed to fight childhood obesity.

The Be Healthy School Grant Program will give awards to 25 winning schools in increments of no more than $10,000. To be eligible to apply for one of the grants a school must be located in Alabama and serve at least one of the grades between kindergarten and sixth grade.

“We continue to see the positive impact of the Be Healthy School Grant Program in schools across our state,” said Jeff Adams, community relations manager, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, in a statement.

The Be Healthy grant program has been in existence since 2012, and BCBS has given away more than $2.1 million in that time.

Per a release from BCBS, “The grants are for the implementation of school-based health and wellness programs that emphasize increased exercise, nutrition education and parental involvement during the school year.”

The application window for the grand opened on Monday, January 4 and will close on Friday, March 26. Any nonprofit school in Alabama, public or private, can apply for the grants.

The schools that won the Be Healthy grants in 2020 were located across the state: from Fleeta Junior High in Opp to Horizon Elementary in Madison.

“The ongoing success of our school grant program validates the investment we are making in the long-term health of Alabama’s children,” Adams noted.

Schools can find more information on how to apply here.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.