TCWF Grants to Local Foundations Help Reach Diverse Communities
 s a foundation that makes grants statewide and one committed to improving the health of underserved communities, The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) is dedicated to ensuring that its grants reach into all corners of our state.
One strategy that TCWF has adopted to more effectively extend its reach is to make grants to local community foundations that, in turn, “regrant” the funds to community-based organizations. Community foundations often have an in-depth knowledge of the local nonprofit terrain and well-established ties with various stakeholders.
 “Community foundations by nature are well-positioned to assess local health needs, identify nonprofits that understand and can address these concerns, and supply technical assistance that goes beyond grant dollars to make sure that local nonprofits have the capacity necessary to meet the health care needs of underserved populations,” said Gary L. Yates, TCWF president and CEO.
For TCWF, the intent is more than simply passing funds on to community foundations, having them make local grants. Rather, it is to strengthen the capacity of both local funders and nonprofit organizations so they are able to meet the health needs of underserved communities. This strategy also allows smaller, less experienced organizations – which may not be positioned to apply directly to TCWF for funds – to benefit from our Foundation’s grantmaking. The following examples demonstrate how regranting strategies have funded the delivery of direct preventive health services and helped to build community capacity.
Community-Based Services in Rural Kern County
Kern County, located at the southern end of California’s Central Valley, is geographically diverse – its population is spread across small communities in valley, mountain and high desert environments. Health problems such as asthma, high rates of childhood obesity, and poor access to care are prevalent. At roughly the size of the state of Massachusetts, the county depends on the existence of local nonprofits to help meet families’ health needs.
Since 1994, a system of 20 Family Resource Centers (FRCs) has provided culturally competent, neighborhood-based preventive health services for children and adults. Working collaboratively with other nonprofits, schools, the faith community and local businesses, the FRCs assess service gaps and develop strategies to close them.
In June 2004, the Kern Community Foundation (KCF) received a three-year TCWF grant of $150,000 to establish the Kern Community Wellness Fund, which regrants funds to FRCs to provide health screenings, education outreach and case management in a number of rural communities across the county.
For example, with its grant from the Wellness Fund, the FRC serving East Kern and Mojave was able to increase the number of patient visits to its mobile dental van. The collaborative serving the community of Lamont hosted health fairs that offered cervical and breast cancer screening for women; prostate cancer screening for men; dental screening for children; and blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar tests to diagnose chronic conditions prevalent in the community.
“A local foundation is often in a stronger position than a statewide funder like TCWF to take a close look at unmet health needs in remote or rural communities,” said Sandra Martínez, TCWF program director. “They can also provide technical assistance to emerging organizations to enhance the capacity of the local nonprofit sector to meet health needs.”
An important component in the Wellness Fund partnership has been the involvement of the Kern County Network for Children, which provides technical assistance to the FRCs that focuses on building organizational capacity. FRC staff are skilled at delivering care and advocating for families but can often benefit from training in organizational management, program evaluation and fundraising. As a result, after several years of participation in the Wellness Fund project, the FRCs are in a stronger position to apply directly for funding from foundations such as TCWF.
 The funds from TCWF have also played an important role in building the visibility and impact of the Kern Community Foundation. As a relatively young foundation, established in 1999, its staff and board are working hard to raise money to build its endowment as well as demonstrate its capacity to benefit the county through its grantmaking. The TCWF funds that make up the regranting pool significantly increased KCF’s grant budget.
“By granting funds to organizations in smaller communities outside of the population center of Bakersfield, we have been able to raise our visibility with individuals and businesses and demonstrate our value to the community,” said Amy Smith, KCF programs and community partnerships officer.
Also, according to Smith, the Kern Community Wellness Fund has served as a model for other regranting programs adopted by KCF.
LGBT Seniors
It’s no secret that California’s population – like that of the nation as a whole – is aging. With the federal Older Americans Act defining a senior as anyone who is 60 years of age or older, the leading edge of the Baby Boom generation now falls into this category. And this population of seniors is reflective of the state’s diversity – including a growing cohort of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians.
Meeting the needs of this emerging population presents a number of challenges. Many LGBT adults living in regions like the Bay Area have grown accustomed to turning to community-based LGBT organizations for health care and social services. As yet, however, these organizations are not well-equipped to meet the specific needs of elders and many mainstream aging services providers do not adequately acknowledge and address the unique circumstances of LGBT clients. Seniors who may have lived openly for decades essentially return to the closet, reporting fears of discrimination and stigmatization from health care workers, social workers, nursing home staff and other service providers.
Many LGBT adults have grown accustomed to turning to community-based LGBT organizations for health care and social services. As yet, these organizations are not well-equipped to meet the specific needs of elders.
The Horizons Foundation was established in 1980 as a community foundation dedicated to the Bay Area’s LGBT community. It grew out of the community’s need to create a mechanism to support the organizations working in the community at a time when mainstream funding was limited. As such, it has played an important role in developing the capacity of LGBT organizations to meet existing and emerging needs in the area of health and wellness.
“Increasingly, LGBT-specific institutions are awakening to their own responsibility for caring for their community’s seniors as their ethnic-specific counterparts have done for decades,” said TCWF Program Director Jeffrey Kim.
In June 2006, the Horizons Foundation received a two-year TCWF grant of $400,000 to regrant funds to Bay Area nonprofits offering preventive health care, nutritional programs, in-home support services and social support to LGBT seniors, and to provide grantees with technical assistance services to advance their organizational development and capacity. In December, the Foundation announced its first LGBT WISE (Working to Improve Services to Elders) grantees, disbursing funds to organizations located in San Francisco, the East Bay, Marin County and San Jose.
With its LGBT WISE grant, Spectrum Center for LGBT Concerns in San Anselmo will expand its elder programs, including at-home visits, support services, social activities and referrals for additional services. New Leaf: Services for Our Community will expand its counseling and support groups, free lunches, programs for housebound clients and substance abuse services.
“Spectrum has been involved with LGBT senior issues for nearly 15 years, when our efforts to share information and create common approaches to serving this population went largely unfunded,” said Paula Pilecki, Spectrum Center’s executive director. “Today, LGBT WISE provides the financial support needed to continue an experienced collaboration which has the potential to create and disseminate a lasting service model to improve the health and well-being of LGBT seniors, wherever they may be.”
Technical assistance is also part of the LGBT WISE initiative.
“We will bring staff from these grantees together periodically to build knowledge of the field, and we plan to tap into the regional coalition of agencies around aging to benefit from their knowledge and help identify gaps in their services that create barriers for our seniors,” said Jewelle Gomez, director of grants at the Horizons Foundation.
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