The California Wellness Foundation has announced $16.8 million in second-quarter grants and $1 million in impact investments to advance health equity in California. 

The foundation awarded 73 grants across its four Advancing Wellness portfolios, focusing on a wide range of issues including diversity in the health workforce, intertribal and intergenerational Native American power building, and access to health care in immigrant communities across California. The impact investment went to the DREAMers Education Financing Trust, which provides graduate student loans to Dreamers, who are ineligible for federal student loans and most other financing sources. Grant recipients include the California Native Vote Project, which was awarded $1 million to help it mobilize its efforts across Native communities in the state, advance health and racial equity, and hold public and private sector leaders accountable for improving the health of Native American communities.

“The foundation made a number of significant investments during the quarter, and we awarded two $1 million grants, which is not typical for us,” said Cal Wellness president and CEO Judy Belk. “I’m also proud to see the number of grants supporting Native American communities, an area where Cal Wellness, along with most of philanthropy, has lagged. Given this history of underinvestment, we need to do more.” 

For a complete list of grantees, see the Cal Wellness website.

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