Foundation puts $6.7 million more toward domestic violence prevention, economic security, and equity
Communities across California stand to benefit from a $6.7 million package of grants, unanimously approved by Blue Shield of California Foundation’s Board of Trustees at their third quarterly meeting of 2024.
These 22 grants are designed to support the Foundation’s mission – to make California the healthiest state and end domestic violence – and organizations that share our focus on Californians of color with low incomes.
“With our grantee partners, we serve the Californians most affected by health inequities and domestic violence,” said Debbie I. Chang, president and CEO of the Foundation. “We focus on changing policy and systems, such as public health and housing, because we aim to help as many people as possible.”
Many grants this quarter are renewed investments in the Foundation’s core strategies, including strengthening economic security for Californians, making sure community priorities are reflected in public systems, and the prevention of domestic violence.
Break the cycle of domestic violence: total grants of $3.5 million
A new cohort of five organizations will learn together and continue to build the evidence base for multigenerational domestic violence prevention work, using $2 million over two years. One of the organizations is Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), where Juana Flores is executive director.
“Thanks to the grant from Blue Shield of California Foundation, MUA will be able to continue growing our domestic violence prevention programs, which at their core develop the leadership of immigrant women throughout Alameda and San Francisco counties,” Flores said. “This will include personal transformation activities as well as policy advocacy, since it is not only about changing women's self-esteem, but also the system that makes women economically vulnerable to abusive relationships.”
The other four members of this cohort are Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective, in Los Angeles; Time for Change Foundation, serving San Bernardino and Riverside counties; Visión y Compromiso, with a strong presence in the Central Valley; and Young Women’s Freedom Center, in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties.
Another way the Foundation supports Californians in healing from and preventing domestic violence is through restorative practices. A $500,000 grant to the Collective Healing and Transformation (CHAT) Project extends our commitment to collecting and sharing data about the effectiveness of restorative practices for another two years.
Align systems with community priorities: total grants of $1.1 million
The Foundation continues to support change in public systems so that they better respond to the priorities of their communities, especially those most affected by domestic violence and health inequities. Grantee partners at the Othering and Belonging Institute, for example, will use $450,000 over two years to build stronger relationships between local and state government agencies and the communities they serve.
When community-based organizations can organize and advocate for systems changes that promote health and racial equity, entire regions may benefit. The San Joaquin Valley Health Fund is receiving $400,000 over two years to advance this kind of work.
“Blue Shield of California Foundation is a critical ally to the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund and our community-based partners,” said Kaying Hang, president of The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, which manages the San Joaquin Valley Health Fund. “Their long-term commitment to building capacity and local leadership has enabled collective achievements in advancing health care for all, access to clean water, funding for affordable housing, improved educational outcomes for students of color and much more.”
Strengthen economic security and mobility: total grants of $920,000
Recognizing that domestic violence is one of the major causes of homelessness for women and children, the Foundation is investing in coalitions that bring women experiencing homelessness into policy discussions about housing. This model has proven successful in Los Angeles, with the Domestic Violence and Homeless Services Coalition. Now, a grant to Community Forward SF will put $200,000 toward the San Francisco Women’s Housing Coalition, a group of nine organizations, over the next two years.
“Because women are often lumped into the general adult population experiencing homelessness, the system often fails to address their unique needs to successfully exit homelessness,” said Jack Hill at Community Forward SF. “The Women’s Housing Coalition is advocating for the creation of systems and services that directly respond to women's homelessness. This work is vital in not only getting women off the streets, but to shifting the narrative about homelessness. It will no longer be seen as an insurmountable problem, but rather that we can solve homelessness when we focus and implement evidence-based practices.”
The Foundation team also works with grantees to expand access to – and use of – benefits that support economic security and health. For example, with a $150,000 grant to Watsonville Law Center, the Foundation is supporting free legal services for people with low incomes on the Central Coast who may need disability and paid leave programs.
Other grantmaking to advance our mission: $1.1 million
The Foundation’s communications team supports journalists in improving coverage of health equity and domestic violence, particularly for Californians of color with low incomes who are most affected by those issues. A $609,000 grant to the Center for Health Journalism and $100,000 for El Tímpano will advance this strategy.
Civic engagement is another pathway to addressing social drivers of health such as economic security and domestic violence prevention, so the Foundation is supporting nonpartisan civic engagement through PICO California and Latino Community Foundation with $100,000 for each.
“Californians are making their voices heard,” Chang said. “When we work together on improving the big systems, focusing on the social drivers of health such as housing and economic opportunity, we can help thousands if not millions of people at a time to thrive.”
For a complete list of current grants and more information on all the Foundation’s grantmaking, please see our grants database. We also support grantees on social media (find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X), and feature their work in our newsletter, Intersections.
To support screenings of the documentary Make A Circle across California elevating the experiences of child care providers to make their work visible and valued and build public will for them to receive better pay and benefits.
To support a women’s housing coalition in San Francisco to expand its work to prevent and address homelessness among survivors of domestic violence.
To support small business owners to engage in advocacy, outreach, and implementation of paid family leave.
To run a year-long fellowship that teaches leaders and advocates to write, pitch, and publish op-eds on the intersection of domestic violence, housing security, and economic security, bringing new voices and stories about prevention into the public sphere.
To educate and engage immigrant, non-English-speaking, farmworker communities in California’s Central Coast about paid family leave and advocate for changes in the program to better meet their needs.
To support the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors in executing communications and advocacy strategies to promote policy and systems change for survivors from immigrant communities in California.
To implement and evaluate integrated strengths-based approaches that promote protective factors to prevent domestic violence across generations for Black men and masculine folks in Los Angeles.
To implement and evaluate integrated strengths-based approaches that promote protective factors to prevent domestic violence across generations for systems impacted women, girls, and transgender people across California.
To support implementation and evaluation of restorative justice processes for survivors and their families in Contra Costa County that builds capacity to spread and scale community restorative justice solutions, promotes healing and safety, and prevents domestic violence.
To implement and evaluate integrated strengths-based approaches that promote protective factors to prevent domestic violence across generations for Latina and Indigenous immigrant women and their children in San Francisco and Alameda Counties.
To provide general operating support to the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color to build safe and accountable communities by focusing on healing, gender justice, and racial equity to end intimate partner violence.
To implement and evaluate integrated strengths-based approaches that promote protective factors to prevent domestic violence across generations for Black and Latina women and their children in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
To implement and evaluate integrated strengths-based approaches that promote protective factors to prevent domestic violence across generations for California Latino immigrant communities, especially in the Central Valley.
To shift public spending to better meet the needs and priorities of communities of color by providing training, resources, and support needed to engage in public budgeting processes in California.
To shift public spending to better meet the needs and priorities of communities of color by providing training, resources, and support needed to engage in public budgeting processes in California.
To support communities of color with low incomes in California with narrative analysis and narrative framing to participate in local government decisions.
To produce and promote in-depth, community-driven, multilingual journalism on health equity and women's issues affecting Latino and Indigenous Mayan immigrants in the East Bay, in order to amplify community priorities.
To train and support California journalists in reporting on health equity and domestic violence, including how to increase their impact through community engagement and collaboration with other outlets.
To support the second cohort of Realize Power Leadership program that is focused on strengthening California based nonprofit leaders’ capacities for equitable data and evaluation practices.
To support the civic engagement of Latino communities in California through polling of Latino views about public policy issues, communication of issues of concern to Latinos, and public education about the voting process.
To support the Hope and Heal Fund by promoting data and capacity building activities to prevent gun-related domestic violence.
To support the civic engagement of communities of color in California through outreach to faith-based communities about the importance of voting and communication about issues of concern to those communities.
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