Our journey to anti-racism plus partner grant opportunity

Striving for equity in our work and community

During Black History Month and year-round, we honor the important contributions that African-Americans have made in the U.S.  As we celebrate black history, we also know it is imperative that we continue to strive for equitable and just communities.

“If we are to achieve our vision of universal health and wellbeing where all people can reach their full potential, it is imperative that we recognize and address the immense health and racial inequities that exist in our society,” says Sarah Lyman, Executive Director, Alliance Healthcare Foundation.

We know that black individuals and communities of color face systemic barriers to opportunity and prosperity in the U.S., and there is a strong correlation between wealth and health. Economic security is an upstream indicator for almost every health and social outcome, and yet the racial disparities in wealth and income are significant. We are working through an explicit racial equity lens with our Economic Mobility and Security initiatives which include workforce advancement opportunities, guaranteed basic income, employee ownership and housing solutions. As we strive towards advancing equity, these are a few examples of how our current portfolio of programs prioritizes under-resourced black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

Internally at the foundation, our team has been focused on our own personal and organizational journey to advance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in a more intentional way since early 2020. We have attended many seminars and training workshops on thoughtfully incorporating DEI into our personal and professional lives. Additionally, we have been working through our operational policies and applying an equity lens to be sure we are inclusive in our business and human resource practices. It is a journey and one in which we are eager to continue to learn and grow.

Partner News

Our partner, Social Venture Partners San Diego has announced an exciting funding cycle that begins March 11. Nonprofits in all issue areas are invited to apply. Nonprofits selected as Investees through its selection process will receive $25,000 of grant funding and two years of highly skilled consulting support.

What’s inspiring us

• Together Against COVID is an initiative led by the Multicultural Health Foundation (MHF) in partnership with the County of San Diego. MHF’s mission is to bring health justice and wellness to the multicultural communities of San Diego County by focusing resources on the most vulnerable populations with community-based wellness strategies, social-clinical interventions, and research that will lead to the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities.
• Together Toward Health. The San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition in San Diego is a great example of the power of community-based outreach. 12 small ethnic-based community organizations have adapted to working together to provide whatever help is needed in their communities and become trusted partners. Nothing seems to be outside their scope–from transportation to the DMV; getting vaccinated for COVID; to immigration legal assistance, and everything in between.
• SDSU-Imperial Valley students will get access for the first time to 4-year degrees starting this fall. First-year and transfer students attending San Diego State University-Imperial Valley this fall will be able to take virtually any SDSU major or minor, regardless of whether those programs are offered locally, the university said in a release issued February 4.