Grant awards: Lessons learned from engaging communities

Until Feb. 1, 2023, we were Group Health Foundation. This post was written under our former identity. To learn more about our new name, read our announcement here.

Thank you for the incredible response to our call for proposals. We’re pleased to announce that we awarded 85 grants to organizations and coalitions working in Washington State to share their insights and wisdom about engaging communities to advance health equity.

As a foundation dedicated to learning and partnership, we’re eager to hear about organizations’ processes for inviting, involving, and engaging place- and identity-based communities to identify the issues that matter to most to them. Each organization is receiving a $7,500 grant for providing a reflective presentation about the challenges and successes, as well as key lessons, related to partnering with communities on health equity issues.

Some of the questions we’re hoping to have answered include: How have organizations co-designed or co-created solutions with communities? How have organizations addressed power differentials, racism, and other forms of oppression? What organizational ways of working have made community engagement efforts successful? What have been significant challenges, obstacles, or missteps, and what has been learned from these experiences?

All of these insights will help inform and shape Group Health Foundation’s long-term strategy and our plans to engage place- and identity-based communities to improve health in Washington. We’re looking forward to receiving presentations by the end of June, and spending time this summer poring through the responses to capture the wisdom of our partners in this work.

Lessons Learned Partners

American Indian Health Commission for Washington State
Asian Counseling and Referral Service
Better Health Together
Boyer Children’s Clinic
Bridging Wisdom
African American Equity in Health Initiative (Byrd Barr Place)
Catholic Community Services Farmworker Center (Catholic Community Services of Western Washington)
Children’s Alliance
Children’s Home Society of Washington
Columbia Legal Services
Commitment to Community (Blue Mountain Action Council)
Community Cafe Collaborative
Community Council
Community Resilience Initiative (Blue Mountain Action Council)
Community to Community (Institute for Washington’s Future)
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation
Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group
Duwamish Valley Program (City of Seattle, Office of Sustainability and Environment)
El Centro de la Raza
Food Innovation Network (Global to Local)
Front and Centered (Latino Community Fund of Washington State)
Global to Local
Got Green
Healthy King County Coalition (Center for Multicultural Health)
Healthy Living Collaborative of Southwest Washington (Southwest Washington Regional Health Alliance)
Heritage University
Healthier Here (Seattle Foundation)
Homeless Network of Yakima County (Yakima Neighborhood Health Services)
Information School (University of Washington)
Inland Northwest Farmers Market Association
Innovation Network / Trauma-Informed Care (Kitsap Community Foundation)
International Examiner
Investing in Children Coalition (Yakima Valley Community Foundation)
Jefferson County Community Health Improvement Plan
Key Peninsula Partnership for a Healthy Community (Key Peninsula Community Council)
Kin on Health Care Center
Kitsap Strong (Kitsap Community Foundation)
Kittitas County Early Learning Coalition
La Casa Hogar
Latino Center for Health
Latinx Health Board (Latino Community Fund of Washington State)
Legal Voice
MascOn/MascOff (Northwest Alliance for Alternative Media & Education)
North Central Accountable Communities of Health (Chelan-Douglas Health District)
North Olympic Development Council
Northeast Washington Hunger Coalition
Northwest Health Law Advocates
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Olympic Peninsula Healthy Community Coalition
OneAmerica
Population Health Trust Advisory Committee (Skagit County Public Health)
Public Health – Seattle and King County
Puget Sound Sage
Room One
Salish School of Spokane
Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation
Seattle Community Law Center
Smile Spokane (Arcora Foundation)
SOAR and King County Early Learning Coalition (School’s Out Washington)
Somali Health Board
Somali Reconciliation Institute (East African Community Services)
Spokane Ride to Care Consortium (Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners)
Spokane Alliance
Statewide Poverty Action Network (Solid Ground)
The Health Center
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
Tacoma SEED (Centro Latino)
Tenants Union of Washington State
The Arc of King County
The Casino Road Initiative (The Community Foundation of Snohomish County)
Ttáwaxt Collaborative (The Memorial Foundation)
The Trust for Public land
Thrive Washington
Thurston Asset Building Coalition (Thurston Economic Development Council Center for Business and Innovation)
United General District 304
Unity Care NW
United Territories of Pacific Islanders’ Alliance
Volunteers of America of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho
Washington State University Foundation
Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement
Whatcom Family & Community Network
White Swan Community Coalition (Mt. Adams School District)
Win | Win Network
Yakima Neighborhood Health Services
Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic