The California Wellness Foundation has announced 88 grants totaling $17.5 million and $1.5 million in impact investments.

The fourth-quarter grants were awarded through the foundation’s four Advancing Wellness portfolios, which are focused on power and movement building among people of color, immigrants, low-income families, and young people. Grassroots, community-based, people of color-led organizations focused on civic engagement and movement building will receive 12 core operating support grants totaling more than $3.9 million. Six core operating support grants totaling $632,000 were awarded to organizations responding to the impact of COVID-19 on California communities, and three grants totaling $430,000 were awarded to build capacity in the field of impact investing. The foundation also awarded $1.5 million in support of investments at the intersection of race, community, and wealth. 

In addition, impact investments were directed to entrepreneurs who typically have trouble getting financing, including women, people of color, and businesses that operate in historically redlined communities. “Grantmaking is only one strategy foundations have at their disposal,” said Cal Wellness president and CEO Judy Belk. “Through impact investing, we can harness the power of our endowment dollars to advance health equity and economic security in low-income communities and build intergenerational wealth in places overlooked by traditional financial institutions.” 

“Our commitment to racial and health equity runs throughout our grantmaking and investments” said Cal Wellness interim vice president of programs Alex M. Johnson. “By being purposeful about how we get dollars into communities, we can help advance the visions that Indigenous and POC-led organizations have for a healthy California.”

(Photo Credit: Getty Images/rez-art)