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
Best wishes, Dr. Ross! I hope your days are filled with all the things that make you happy.
May you spend many days on the beach. Best Wishes, Winnie
Bob,
We can’t thank you enough. Our wish is that you take some time to do what you want to do.
You’ve done so much for others. It’s time to DO YOU!
God bless,
- Steve & Jenn
Dr. Ross -
The man who helped me to dream in decades! Thank you for your leadership and example of courage. You’ve made us all better!
- Kaci Patterson
Bob,
Fortunate to have such a powerful voice & thought leader at TCE.
- Sherry
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)
All the blessings in the world for your much deserved retirement. Thank you for your commitment to equity.
- Pico California
Dr. Ross,
Thank you for all your hard work. Wishing you tons of reset and peace, Dr. Ross.
- Nancy Nunez
Dr. Ross,
Thank you for your unwavering support of the HCA and the BHC. You made a difference in the world, and supported us to do the same.
In gratitude,
- Yvonne Maria Jimenez
NLSLA
Rosetta Henderson Bloom again
Dr. Ross -
Wishing you abundance in this next chapter! Thank you for your infinite sacrifices for justice.
- Sonya Diaz
Dr. Ross,
Wishing you special times with your daughter. Relax and enjoy the beach.
Love,
- Marie P.
Wishing you health and happiness in your well deserved retirement.
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)
Best wishes to you and your family.
Blessings,
Mykol Lewis
Brotherhood Crusade
Dr. Ross!
You are fantastic!
Your words at the Liberty Hill dinner always stuck with me and I continue to share the message today.
Thank you,
- Darryl
Congratulations on a long and impactful career! Best wishes for your next stage of life!
Best,
- Amy
POWER
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
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