The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation for Community & Health Advancement has awarded more than $1 million to 28 organizations addressing Arizona’s most pressing health challenges.

Funding will help organizations focus on four key areas: mental health, substance use disorder, chronic health conditions and health equity, according to a press release

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona and GiGi’s Playhouse in Scottsdale are among the organizations that received funding in the foundation’s latest grant cycle.

“This support will help Make-A-Wish Arizona’s medical outreach efforts, especially in rural and underserved communities, ensuring that every eligible child is referred for a wish,” Fran Mallace, Make-A-Wish Arizona president and CEO, said in the release. “A wish inspires hope, provides joy and builds strength for children facing unimaginable health care challenges. Thanks to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation, we can continue to create these transformative experiences for every Wish Kid in Arizona.”

The Make-A-Wish project funded is “Improving Mental Health for Underserved and Critically Ill Children,” which empowers children in underserved areas statewide to benefit from the life-changing experience of having a wish granted during their medical treatment journey. These children are diagnosed with a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed their life in jeopardy.

Funding will enable Make-A-Wish to grant 450 children’s wishes, its highest number to date, and engage underrepresented communities,

The GiGi’s Playhouse project funded is “GiGi’s on the Go,” which supplements critical therapeutic, educational and developmental services for students with Down syndrome in Maricopa and Yavapai counties by bringing trained volunteers, licensed therapists and specialized equipment directly to families in need.

GiGi’s on the Go transforms limited DS services into comprehensive, holistic support for this at-risk population. The program ensures that children with DS receive speech therapy as well as literacy and math tutoring early, regularly and consistently. Tutoring helps them stay meaningfully engaged in school and community life — moving from isolation to inclusion.

To learn more about these grantees and funded projects, visit azbluefoundation.org/grants/grantees.