Blue Shield of California Foundation Announces $4.2 Million in Q4 Grants

San Francisco, December 21, 2010 —Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) announced today $4.2 million in fourth quarter grants. 

The majority of new funds will help California take advantage of new opportunities to expand and improve care through opportunities presented by federal health reform. Additional grants aim at ending domestic violence in the state, with a special focus on preventing violence in the homes of military families. 

“The need and opportunity to deliver care to the most vulnerable Californians has never been greater,” said Peter Long, president and CEO of BSCF. “At a time when philanthropies are doing more with less, we are proud to be able to maintain our core grantmaking commitments and make vital progress during tough economic times.”

Health Care and Coverage

Earlier this month, BSCF announced that it was providing $1.6 million to help counties take advantage of new opportunities to expand coverage for the uninsured. The Foundation is also awarding the following grants to ensure that all Californians have access to safe, effective, and affordable health care:

• $1.47 million to help 11 community clinic consortia coordinate and integrate services in order to maximize opportunities created by federal health reform.

• $400,000 to the University of California (San Francisco) to develop strategies for transforming community clinics in a reformed healthcare environment.

• $150,000 to the University of California (Berkeley) to support innovations in healthcare delivery by addressing barriers to the development of accountable care organizations among safety-net providers in California.

• $75,000 to Community Partners’ LA Health Action to convene public and private healthcare leaders and to develop solutions that promote increased coordination and integration of safety-net providers in Los Angeles County.

Blue Shield Against Violence

The Foundation’s latest grants reflect a continued commitment to end domestic violence and expand its pioneering work to prevent violence in the homes of military families. Specific grants include:

• $120,000 to National Center on Family Homelessness, Inc., to expand research on domestic violence prevention for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their partners in California, and to disseminate findings to federal policymakers and legislators.

• $150,000 to Tower Foundation of San Jose State University to expand prevention of intimate partner violence among returning veterans on college campuses in California.

• $100,000 to the Family Violence Law Center to create and implement an organizational succession plan and to share best practices with other California domestic violence service providers.

• $50,000 to Jenesse Center, Inc., to disseminate findings and recommendations from recent research on effective ways to coordinate among child welfare agencies, domestic violence organizations, and courts across California.

The latest grants bring BSCF’s 2010 grantmaking total to just over $22 million. 

About Blue Shield of California Foundation

Blue Shield of California Foundation is one of the largest healthcare grantmaking organizations in California. For more information, visit: www.blueshieldcafoundation.org. The Foundation was formed by Blue Shield of California, a not-for-profit corporation with more than 3.3 million members, 4,800 employees, and 20 offices throughout California. For more information about the company, please visit: www.blueshieldca.com.