December 2020 Grant Announcement: Supporting California communities most impacted by COVID-19
$3.75 million in grants supporting California communities to build economic strength and prevent domestic violence
Blue Shield of California Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved $3.75 million in grants to 20 organizations to improve financial strength in families, address domestic violence, shift the social norms that enable violence, and support the people who have been most impacted by COVID-19. This quarter’s grantmaking was approved on Dec. 16, and brings the Foundation’s annual contribution to $35 million, its largest annual grantmaking since 2008.
“We are incredibly proud to support these outstanding partners and their powerful work to address racial injustice, economic inequality, health inequity, and domestic violence,” said Debbie I. Chang, MPH, president and CEO of the Foundation. “Together, we are building a future in which California will be the healthiest state, and free of domestic violence.”
These grants represent the deepening of the Foundation’s work to improve health equity and prevent domestic violence by building financial strength in working families, and healing and preventing multigenerational trauma.
Among the many innovative efforts funded this quarter is the CalWORKs Association’s project to involve students who are parents in systems design to improve the educational outcomes and financial stability of families with young children.
“We are elated for this support and the Foundation’s deep commitment to elevate the voices of low-income student-parents,“ said Aarin Edwards, President of the CalWORKs Association. “This is an unprecedented opportunity for the people who are at the center of community college and TANF systems to create meaningful change.”
To meet the ongoing crisis of COVID-19 in California communities, the Foundation expanded its COVID-19 response this quarter by granting $1.36 million to nine organizations that serve diverse communities — indigenous, immigrant, farmworkers, and others — that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 throughout the state. That brings the Foundation's total grantmaking this year in responde to the pandemic to $12 million.
The Foundation made several strategic investments this year to increase grantmaking and its impact. Of note were the significant and early contributions to ambitious multidonor funds to meet widespread community needs, including $1 million to seed the California Immigrant Resiliency Fund through Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, $1 million for emergency COVID-19 support for those facing domestic violence through the Women’s Foundation of California, $1 million to support communities most impacted by COVID-19 through the Together Toward Health fund at the Public Health Institute, and a $1.5 million founding investment in November to support All in for Kids, a fund to prevent childhood trauma and domestic violence. To learn more about our grantmaking in 2020, see our grants database.
To engage student-parents in using human-centered design practices to identify policy barriers and develop and advocate for solutions that will support economic mobility and health for them and their children.
To engage civic leaders and residents in Fresno and across California in developing innovative policy solutions at the intersection of economic security and health.
To provide general operating support to community-based organizations supporting the health and safety of communities in California that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and further exacerbated by racial inequities.
To provide general operating support to community-based organizations supporting the health and safety of communities in California that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and further exacerbated by racial inequities.
To support the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality network with capacity building, anti-Asian racism training, and tools to counter anti-Asian narratives and support California’s Asian communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To support a participatory grantmaking program funding front line, Native-led organizations in supporting their communities that have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and further exacerbated by racial inequities.
To provide general operating support to community-based organizations supporting the health and safety of communities in California that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and further exacerbated by racial inequities.
To support vulnerable immigrants and their families across Los Angeles County with education and referrals to access services to prevent or treat COVID-19.
To support California Indigenous organizations with recovery from the long-term impacts of COVID-19 by increasing access to funding resources and addressing systemic change through community-based solutions.
To provide general operating support to community-based organizations supporting the health and safety of communities in California that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 and further exacerbated by racial inequities.
To support the Love is Healing COVID-19 Response Fund, a participatory grantmaking program that engages girls, young women, and gender-expansive youth of color who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 to develop community solutions to inform systems change.
To support the implementation of a narrative change strategy and supporting infrastructure in two regions in Southern California and to amplify narratives of inclusion and belonging that advance economic security, health, and well-being across California.
Funds will support two California reporters to participate in the Health Coverage Fellowship, a national health journalism fellowship that builds skills and ability to report on the diverse and interconnected health issues that affect health.
To support solutions-oriented, culturally-centered domestic violence prevention and intervention coverage in the two largest African-American media markets in California and the Inland Empire through trusted Black news outlets.
To support consulting on 15 broadcast shows and develop a news consultation program that will work with news outlets to more fully and accurately represent immigrants in the media, then measure the impact of these media on the attitudes and behaviors of Californians.
To produce a documentary about the future of the public health workforce, while also creating resources for high school and college students to learn about different career paths in the health field.
To support ethnic media outlets with strategy-related content, access to experts, technical assistance, training, content hubs, and microgrants so they can continue to provide critical health and wellness information and a sense of connection and safety to California's ethnic communities.
To support community-focused, solutions journalism on health disparities and the social determinants of health in California.
To provide training, mentorships, fellowships, and support for in-depth and engaged journalism on complex health issues, including the social determinants of health that produce health disparities among Californians.
To provide general operating support to Public Health Advocates, California’s leading advocacy organization focused on promoting public health, strengthening prevention policy, and addressing issues with California’s public health systems.
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