Crowds gather along Lake Merritt in Oakland near the white courthouse and city skyline on a sunny day.

Advancing prevention, community safety, and health equity in California 2026 (Core Support)

Building momentum and capacity to embed health equity within state and local policies, systems, and public funding programs

We envision a California where health, safety, and wellbeing are shaped by structural conditions that support health equity and racial justice. Grounded in a long-term systems perspective and deep partnerships with community-rooted organizations and movements, this work drives policy change that improves conditions for communities most impacted by inequities. We collaborate with local power-building organizations, statewide advocates, and governmental partners to advance structural solutions that redress past injustices and create pathways to an equitable future. This project takes place over a two-year period, from April 2026 through March 2028.

The purpose of this project is to advance an affirmative, community-centered policy agenda—a proactive, long-term vision that centers community leadership and equitable implementation. Our approach emphasizes policies that grow, shift, and share power and resources. Through this work, we contribute to statewide transformation by strengthening equitable investments, addressing systemic barriers, and rebuilding a public health ecosystem capable of delivering equitable outcomes.

Primary activities:

Advancing equitable investments in safe and healthy neighborhood conditions by protecting and strengthening federal and state programs that direct resources to California communities closest to the challenge; partnering to develop new models for community-driven investments; and growing public revenue streams that support healthy, thriving neighborhoods.

Fixing systemic barriers to health equity and racial justice by partnering with governmental leaders and advocates to embed equity into state-level procedures, budgeting, and decision-making processes—informed by the dual lenses outlined in Building Bridges: The Strategic Imperative for Advancing Health Equity & Racial Justice.

Ongoing engagement and leadership in statewide coalitions, including staffing the California Funders Workgroup on Prevention and Equity; supporting the California Racial Equity Coalition; co-leading the Catalyst for Community-led Reinvestment project, and contributing to the CA Housing Justice as Health Equity Collaborative.

Participating in statewide advisory groups—including the LA County Community Prevention and Population Health Task Force; California Department of Public Health State Rape Prevention and Education Advisory Group; California Department of Public Health Behavioral Health Advisory Committee; Department of Health Care Services Prop 64 Advisory Group; and the State of Equity Advisory Group.

Rebuilding California’s public health ecosystem by advocating for a public health system that fully resources communities to advance upstream prevention—strengthening physical, social, and economic conditions through community-led collaboration, power building, and aligned policy action.