Building Healthy Communities
Building Healthy Communities (BHC) successfully built community power across the state with the goal of working towards a California where all people have the opportunity to thrive.
As a signature program of The California Endowment, BHC combined 10 years of continuous funding in 14 historically disinvested communities with state-level and regional policy campaigns and coalition building.
During this time, we learned it begins and ends with people power. This is the most important lesson we’ve learned in and over a decade of BHC evaluation, and is the guiding north star from which we continue to do our work.
This wasn’t our initial hypothesis. Yet 10 years of listening and responding to our partners, questioning and testing our assumptions, and being flexible as we learned is what ultimately brought us here.
BHC shifted the narrative toward a deeper understanding of systemic inequities and the potential of people power to transform them. As we worked in local communities, we gathered data to evaluate in real time and sought feedback on our role as a funder and change-maker in order to become a more effective leader.
The lessons learned help us be more provocative in our questions, and more confident in our assumptions about how change happens.
All in all, BHC was a novel approach to health improvement that encompassed the social determinants of health and led to our focus on power building to promote systems change and advance racial equity.
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14
Communities Transformed -
1,526
Policy, System & Physical Wins -
$1B
Invested Over 10 Years
“Racial injustice, structural inequality are made by the human hand. Which means that they can be dismantled by the human hand. Dismantled by human leadership, human action, human voice, human advocacy, human activism.”
DR. ROBERT K. ROSS President & CEO, The California Endowment
Browse Other Changes Planted by Dr. Ross
Health4All 38.6 million lives impacted
Youth Awards 37 total awards given
Schools Not Prisons & BMOC Millions reached since 2016
Farmworker Health $50M initiative
TCE Grant Making 2023 $381M awarded
Parks for All Hundreds of millions leveraged for parks investments in CA
Youth on the Board 1st of large foundations in US to have youth on the board
Childhood Obesity & Freshworks $272M to expand access to fresh and healthy foods in low-income communities
CHIS 20,000 households interviewed annually to find health gaps in CA
Kids Health Coverage Campaign $4M to help enroll children in health programs
Cultural Competency/Health Workforce/PRIME $78.2M to CA organizations working to boost the size and diversity of the state's healthcare workforce
TCE Headquarters 125,000+ use our facilities every year
Wishing Wall
Thank you for your leadership and keeping justice at the center of LA philanthropy!
Thank you Dr. Ross for impacting so many people and our community.
- Vida Mobile Clinic
Dr. Ross,
Wish you peace and reflective joy brother.
- Efrain Escobedo
On behalf of Music Changing Lives, we want to extend our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support and dedication. Your commitment to nurturing and inspiring young minds through philanthropy is truly transformative. May you continue to touch lives & bring harmony to our communities. We are blessed to have you as a part of our journey.
- Josiah (Music Changing Lives)
Dr. Ross,
I hope this next chapter fills you up as you get to witness the work and people you have nurtured for all these years.
Dr. Ross! Congrats on your transition. I am grateful for the opportunity to have grown up with your support. You inspired me to chase my dreams.
- Corleone (BMoC)
Dear Dr. Ross,
We wish you the best in retirement although we know you will stay busy take time to enjoy family.
- From the Avilas
My friend -
Thank you for always believing in the work. I hope you get some time to rest and find new horizons (and no stalkers).
With love
Best wishes to you and your family.
Blessings,
Mykol Lewis
Brotherhood Crusade
Thank you for all the great work bringing health and wellness to California.
- Alan Pullman
Dr. Ross,
Wishing you a magical abundant retirement.
- Nikki
For many years, I have known how special you are! Thanks.
Bobbie -
May God continue to order your steps. He;s not finished with you yet.
Blessings upon blessings! Looking forward to all your journey takes you!
I wish you all the best. Hopefully I will see you around the bowl more!
- Virginia Mosqueda
We are forever grateful for your tireless work to make CA a beloved community for all! Si se puede!
With deep appreciation,
- Mayra Alvarez & The Children’s Partnership team
Enjoy & have fun. God bless you!
- Elizabeth Tabita
Dr. Bob -
Enjoy this next chapter in your life. I wish you joy!
- Jim Crouch
Thank you for all your support for the ACA, #Health4All, and everything else.
Best wishes!
- Melinda Smith and the Helpguide team
Unveiling Our
2025 Annual
Report
The California Endowment is proud to present our 2025 annual report. Read about the work we are supporting and our partners who are changing California to a state of belonging and inclusion.
View Report