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
Miyihah-Tlakilte Dr. Ross -
On behalf of Anawakalmekak and the Gabrielino shoshone nation. Much love on your journey.
Thank you for believing in us and the opportunities your faith in us have afforded so many. We wish tenfold those blessings on you.
- Alf LaMont
Dr. Ross,
The seeds you planted will bloom for generations to come!
Dr. Ross,
I love you!! Thank you for being a servant to the people. Lives are better because you came into the world.
Mil gracias from planned parenthood! We love you!
Dr. Ross,
Thank you for all that you have done to advance justice and equity in our communities.
Wishing you good health and lots of laughter!
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.
Love you my brother! My homeboy. Wish you all the joy & happiness.
- Hector V. (Homeboy Industries)
Dr. Ross,
Wishing you all of the joy and relaxation you well deserve. Thank you for everything!
- Alyric Bell (UNITE-LA)
Best wishes for the next act!
- Joel
Dr. Ross -
I learned so much from you and loved working together on op-eds, etc… After a break, I think you have a book in you.
You are a big inspiration for this world! Thank you!
For many years, I have known how special you are! Thanks.
Thank you for your guidance and leadership!
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
Wishing you an abundance of love, harmony, health, and happiness.
Dr. Ross
Thanks for your years of unwavering leadership. We are better for all your efforts.
- Craig Martinez
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