The Greater Washington Community Foundation has announced $9.2 million in grants funded by the Health Equity Fund (HEF).

Grants will support 32 Washington, D.C., nonprofit organizations engaged in improving economic mobility to help close the racial health and wealth gap. Given that 80 percent of the District of Columbia’s health outcomes are driven by social, economic, and other factors—and just 20 percent by clinical care—the fund is using an economic mobility frame to address the root causes of those challenges. Grantees include Bread for the City, which will pilot a direct cash assistance program that focuses on the social determinants of health to reach those most impacted by poverty; Capital Area Asset Builders, which will provide BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) individuals living in the lowest-income neighborhoods with emergency savings and access to mainstream financial resources; and the National Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, which will support a holistic wellness and wealth creation program for women of color returning from incarceration.

“Mindful that health and wealth are inextricably linked, the HEF’s first round of grants is boldly investing in economic mobility and wealth building in D.C.’s historically underinvested communities,” said Greater Washington Community Foundation president and CEO Tonia Wellons. “Achieving this vision puts our city on a trajectory to improve and achieve optimal health outcomes for all D.C. residents.”

For a complete list of grant recipients, see the Greater Washington Community Foundation website.

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