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
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!
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,
Thank you for all that you have done to advance justice and equity in our communities.
Thank you, Dr. Ross, for all the love you have given to this world. You have paved the way to continue making change.
- Veronica
Thank you for being a mentor and inspiration. You have truly made a difference in California and the world.
Dr. Ross -
Thank you for all you’ve done for the community and have an amazing retirement!
Love you my brother! My homeboy. Wish you all the joy & happiness.
- Hector V. (Homeboy Industries)
Dr. Ross,
Deep gratitude for your leadership and commitment to equity and justice.
Thank you for all of the years of big ideas and humble connection.
Wishing you a happy and blessed retirement.
Love,
- David & Pei
Bob,
May your love, kindness and humor grow in retirement.
Love you,
- Steve & Victoria
Dear Bob,
I have learned and grown so much during my time at TCE and with you. Thank you for everything.
- Karthik
Thank you for your guidance and leadership!
You are an inspiration! Thank you for everything.
- Ted
Best wishes!
Enjoy & have fun. God bless you!
- Elizabeth Tabita
Dr. Bob -
Enjoy this next chapter in your life. I wish you joy!
- Jim Crouch
A tu salud! Con cariño y respeto.
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