CAREERS CONTACT SEARCH ABOUT US OUR WORK GRANTS LEARNING CONFERENCE CENTERS ENGAGEMENT SOCIAL BOND Overview Our Three Bold Ideas Focus Areas Regions Related Posts & Resources OUR FOCUS AREAS Supporting People Power to Achieve Health Equity for All Californians Starting in 2021, our 10-year, $2 billion plan advances the vision of a more equitable California By empowering the work of nonprofit organizations and government entities through grant-making, we’re striving towards a state that is a healthier place to live, free from social inequality and racial injustice; one that can become a model for the rest of the nation. Where we live, our race, and our income each plays a big part in our health status and life expectancy. Research shows that in many areas nationwide, a mile can mean 15 more years of life for someone living in an affluent neighborhood as compared with someone living low-income disinvested neighborhood, just several blocks away. The unfair reality is that odds are stacked against low-income communities and communities of color. Because of a legacy of racial and economic segregation, anti-immigrant policy and a host of other historical “isms,” there are many communities in California where the neighborhood environment conspires to harm residents. These environments lack basic health protective amenities like parks, grocery stores, decent schools, jobs, housing, and the list goes on. However, these neighborhood and community environments are not natural; they are man-made, and thus can be unmade. We are empowering organizations to change that reality within California because we believe that neither race, geographic location, gender or sexual orientation should restrict access to a healthy life. Our Three Bold Ideas We envision a “California for All” that leads the nation as a powerful and conscientious voice for wellness, inclusion, and shared prosperity. In support of this, we will invest in three bold ideas in the decade to come: People Power Developing young and adult leaders to work intergenerationally to raise up the voice of marginalized communities and promote greater civic activism as essential building blocks for an inclusive, equitably prosperous state. Reimagined Public Institutions Transforming our public institutions to become significant investors in, and champions of, racial and social equity, and in the healthy development and success of young people for generations to come. A 21st century “Health for All” System Ensuring prevention, community wellness, and access to quality health care for all Californians. “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What we’re Focused on We are strengthening the fabric of our democracy by investing in the growth of the social and economic power of the very residents who have been the targets of exclusion, stigma, and discrimination Transformative and sustained change takes youth leadership, strong partnerships, and a compelling new story about how health can—and should—happen in all communities. Youth and adult residents are harnessing this power and voice to change the rules at the local, regional, and state levels so that everyone is valued and has access to the resources and opportunities essential for health. We Aim to Increase Social Justice and Health Equity in these Five Focus Areas: Health Systems Our health system works best when every Californian has access to quality and affordable health care. Inclusive Community Development Our communities and neighborhoods thrive when policies advance health and racial equity for all Californians. Justice Reinvestment Re-imagining a criminal justice system that centers on prevention and healing. Power Infrastructure Building power in resilient communities across the state for a stronger California. Schools Academic achievement, inclusive learning environments and health go hand in hand. “Our goal is to create a beloved community.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Where we’re Focused To be healthy, we need to have equal opportunity for all Californians. We’re focused on 4 large regions that encompass the majority of California, and our plan for the next 10 years is to reach nearly all of California with an expanded regional footprint, increasing impact from the previous 14 Building Healthy Communities sites to nearly double the counties in the years to come. To Focus our Efforts, we’re Breaking California into Four Distinct Regions: North Central Los Angeles South Quick facts about the North region: Counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Sacramento, Shasta, Trinity Population: 4,732,648 (12% of California population) Average Demographics: African American – 5.4% Native American – 4% API – 6.96% Latinx – 14.24% White – 73.3% Poverty rate – 16% *Please note that many folks identify as more than one race, which leads the total demographics number to be greater than 100% How we aim to impact this region: Health Systems Poor health outcomes result from a continuing legacy of policies and practices, both within communities and in the healthcare system itself, that discriminate, segregate, and exclude people from the resources and opportunities to be healthy. The system is fragmented and uncoordinated, lacks a holistic approach connecting healthcare with public health and other culturally appropriate community wellness resources, and has little accountability to patients or communities. The system’s workforce is highly unrepresentative of the state’s population, its financing is misaligned- incentivizing volume over value or health outcomes – and a strong power imbalance exists between physicians and patients and communities. Inclusive Community Development The control and disposition of land, natural resources, labor, and capital intersect in place, and this conjuncture, as seminal drivers of community change, have resulted in gentrification, displacement, over-investment/disinvestment, environmental degradation, undesirable land use, and increased health inequities across California. The growing conflict between the role of capital and its impact on the health of communities is rooted in the original atrocities of our country—slavery and genocide—committed in the name of economic advancement. To make progress toward systemic transformation that gets at these roots in the next 10 years, we must correctly and explicitly name this problem, and orient our efforts toward building enough power to ensure that human health and dignity and the sustainability of our planet are put before private profit. Justice Reinvestment A growing body of research has proven that contact with the justice system has a deleterious, intergenerational impact on the social determinants of health of individuals, families and communities. Deeply entrenched structural racism has facilitated the disproportionate representation of people of color in the system and consequently their experience of harm from it. Yet, narratives that conflate systems of punishment and safety continue to shape the political, social and economic conditions that substantiate and incentivize increased public and private investment in the drivers of mass incarceration at the expense of prevention, restorative and health-promoting resources for communities with the greatest needs. Power Infrastructure Building power in resilient communities across the state for a stronger California. Schools Rather than serving as a driver for equitable outcomes, California’s public school system has consistently fallen short of its potential to create a more level playing field. The school system’s failure to recognize its roots in white supremacy culture and complicity in reproducing harm in communities of color has led to persistently inequitable outcomes over generations and left a debt owed to those communities most deeply harmed. Our unwillingness to fully invest in our education system to ensure that any child who walks through its doors has all the support and opportunities needed to thrive, has only compounded this debt. As a result, our schools are frequently misaligned with community priorities and spend their precious few resources on compliance and control, thus breaching their duty to adequately educate all of California’s children and fueling a school-to-prison and deportation pipeline. Related Posts & Resources TCE Transitions to focus on Power OCTOBER 22, 2020 Reducing Exposure to Childhood Trauma OCTOBER 22, 2020 Toward Health and Racial Equity: Reflections on 10 Years of Building Healthy Communities OCTOBER 15, 2020 TCE Announces New Program Director Team That Will Lead Upcoming 10- Year Plan AUGUST 5, 2020 The California Endowment Pledges 10-Year Support for Black-Led Organizing & Activism JULY 23, 2020 Learn more about our Foundation We believe good leadership and people power are essential to social justice and better health for all of California. We believe in a "Beloved California," grounded in wellness, inclusion, and shared prosperity. A California for All. EXPLORE OUR STORY ABOUT OUR GRANT MAKING MEDIA INQUIRIES DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION AUDIT AUDITED FINANCIALS CONTACT © 2021 The California Endowment | All rights reserved. Design by SPINX Digital Privacy PolicyPeoplePowerHealth By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy ACCEPT