DR. ROBERT K. ROSSRETIRES

The end of an era at The California Endowment

When Dr. Robert K. Ross, President and CEO, steps down from his leadership role at The California Endowment (TCE) this year, it will be the end of an era; one marked by extraordinary accomplishments and revolutionary, transformative work impacting the lives, health and well-being of millions of Californians.

Starting in 2000, his focus has always been to “crack the code” to address the social determinants of health, and to advocate and advance health equity for all. He viewed his role as leading the foundation to “help fill the gaps and gaping holes for poor and marginalized communities left out of the state’s health system.” Grantmaking in his view had three pillars: strategic, moral and spiritual.

During his remarkable 24-year tenure, TCE was at the forefront of the Kids Health Coverage campaign; provided $300 million to assure successful Affordable Care Act implementation in California; offered support for a five-year investment in farmworker health, and backed successful actions spearheaded by “Dreamers” to include the undocumented in expanded health coverage.

Inspired by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who spoke of creating a “beloved community,” Dr. Ross infused that belief into TCE’s mission that envisions a California where historically excluded people have voice, agency and power in decision making and where health destiny is not determined by one’s zip code.

A respected community leader, he crisscrossed the state supporting TCE’s mission. He has journeyed to Washington, D.C. where he testified about reducing gun violence. He traveled to City Heights, San Diego where he welcomed former first lady Michelle Obama, and they toured community farms operated by refugees and immigrants.

Dr. Ross steered TCE to instill the call for health equity and justice across the state; from Fresno where residents fought for a Parks for All campaign to San Diego where young people led an effort for healthier and culturally appropriate school meals. TCE’s support extended to the Coachella Valley where clean water was made more available to thousands of farmworker families, and in Del Norte County, where tribal communities and rural whites collaborated in strategies to advance health and educational equity.

A powerful Schools Not Prisons campaign was born in 2012 out of regional hearings with youth who had grown tired of being stigmatized and targeted in schools. TCE moved to create a grassroots campaign that transformed school discipline practices and justice systems to improve young lives. “Our grantee partners are not merely the recipients of a charitable transaction… young people living in the justice system are the best design architects for what the justice system should look like. They are architects of a new destiny for this country,” Ross said.

A crowning achievement of his tenure came in 2010 with a 10-year, $1 billion Building Health Communities (BHC) investment that focused on place, race and power as the core to a health and equity strategy. Launched statewide in 14 sites, that landmark work resulted in more than 1,200 policy and systems changes.

With the nation again rocked by the eruption of racialized trauma, TCE in 2023 approved a $300 million bond to invest in social justice power-building, health for all programs, and gave key support to multi-racial organizations most impacted by the hateful fallout.

He will leave a robust legacy affecting the lives of Californians. On the horizon is a development that will be built on the TCE Los Angeles office’s back lot. Slated to open in 2028, it will offer housing, community and health services, job training, art programs and a space for gathering and healing. Given his uncompromising support for the project, the facility will be named in his honor. It will be known as the Robert K. Ross Center for Hope and Healing.

TCE is now the first large foundation in the nation to designate board seats for young people. The first two youth members began their service in May 2024.

But a litany of grantees and funding support does not adequately represent the totality of who Dr. Robert K. Ross is. For him philanthropy is personal. His passion for people is often exhibited in a warm hug or handshake, a smile, encouraging words, even prayer. From his office, he can see historic Olvera Street. He often walked over to La Placita church to pray. And watch… pondering the burdens and experiences of the parishioners then strategizing how he could help them.

That compassion is evident in his life’s work. At a community retirement reception in San Diego he remarked, “I see you and I hear your pain, I see and I hear your injustice, I see your trauma and I see your dreams and your hopes and your aspirations… there’s nothing more spiritual. It is the highest form of humanity.”

Dr. Ross leaves a powerful legacy of visionary leadership, challenging his peers to strive higher, look farther, do more and encouraging them to emphasize transformation over transaction. “I contend foundation CEOs also need to be faithful, optimistic, and unapologetic about loving whom they serve.” He adds, “It’s not about charity. It has to be about change.”