The California Wellness Foundation has announced grants and impact investments totaling $16.7 million to advance health equity in California.

The foundation awarded 88 grants across its four Advancing Wellness portfolios, with a focus on improving access to quality health care for all, creating workplaces that support working families, and responding to—and preparing for—natural disasters and emergencies. Seven grants totaling $700,000 were awarded to organizations to support emergency response capabilities, including Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which will provide emergency relief to farmworkers, immigrants, and families impacted by natural disasters, and five core operating support grants totaling $1.1 million were awarded to organizations providing direct healthcare services to underserved Californians, including 3C Community Clinic, which will provide primary care services to low-income individuals and families in Los Angeles. And four grants totaling $1.2 million were awarded to organizations working to create living-wage jobs, including Santa Cruz Community Ventures, which will lead worker cooperative efforts and engage Latinx immigrants in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties.

In addition, the foundation awarded a $1 million program-related investment (PRI) loan to East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative for efforts to fill construction gaps for a four-unit affordable housing project as well as assess additional projects in West Oakland; and a $3 million PRI equity commitment to the SDS Supportive Housing Fund for an innovative model to address the state’s homelessness crisis.

“Many California families already struggle to make ends meet. A recent series of natural disasters has further jeopardized these families’ ability to recover their homes and their incomes,” said Cal Wellness president and CEO Judy Belk. “Our grants are intended to help these communities go beyond just surviving a disaster.”

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