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
Dr. Ross,
Thank you for being unwavering and clear about TCE’s purpose. Thank you for always listening and learning and dreaming about what could be.
Forever grateful,
- Mia Bolton
Miyihah-Tlakilte Dr. Ross -
On behalf of Anawakalmekak and the Gabrielino shoshone nation. Much love on your journey.
May you spend many days on the beach. Best Wishes, Winnie
Thank you for seeding so much change in the world, Dr. Ross!
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)
May the force be with you in your new journey!
- Revolve Impact
Bob -
With huge appreciation for an example of excellence, humility, and grace.
Best wishes.
Happy times and thanks for all you have done for me.
Congratulations Dr. Ross (aka 007) on 24 years of making a change in CA’s future.
Best,
- Dolores Estrada
Dear Bob,
Thank you for your incredible and bold leadership for equity and justice! It has catalyzed so much and the ripple effects will be felt for longer than you can imagine. Thanks also for being a personal inspiration to me and our organization’s work. We’ll all try to carry on the pathway you forged. Best wishes in all your next endeavors.
Yours,
- Alex Rossides
Bob -
It’s been an honor to work with you through the years. Love you very much!
Thank you for doing the true work of a doctor… HEALING! I heard you speak early in my career and was very inspired. Thank you!
- Leslie Johnson (Community Coalition)
Wishing you well in all things, Bob. Preach on!
- John F.
Best wishes to you and your family.
Blessings,
Mykol Lewis
Brotherhood Crusade
Your words at the Liberty Hill dinner always stuck with me and I continue to share the message today.
Thank you,
- Darryl
Dearest Bob,
I will forever appreciate how you have welcomed and vouched for me in philanthropy. And there’s still time for you to get us that $5mil!
- Shane
We wish you well wishes.
- Brotherhood Crusade
Blessings upon blessings! Looking forward to all your journey takes you!
Bob!
Rest. Relax. Renew. Have fun…
- Kisha Grove
Thank you for all your work!
- Olga (FBHC)
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