The Next Chapter of Our Work
We’re starting on an exciting journey to answer this essential question: How can we have a greater impact on health in California, especially for communities most affected by racial and economic injustice?
Through a strategic planning process, we’ll reflect on what we’ve learned and accomplished. And we’ll look to the future, studying the landscape of opportunities and ideas to chart a new way forward. Learn more about what we hope to achieve and what will happen over the next year at Cal Wellness.
Resources
Featured Story
In this blog post, Cal Wellness CEO Richard Tate reflects on planning for the future during uncertain times. “If we’ve learned one thing in the last 10 years, it’s that adaptability in the face of disruption is the key to effective strategy,” Tate writes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why update your strategy?
It’s time. Our current Advancing Wellness grantmaking strategy was launched in 2014, and a lot has changed in California and the world since then. Advancing Wellness was designed as a 10-year plan rooted in the social determinants of health – research showing that wellness is based on not only access to health care but also where we live, our access to jobs and education, and other social and environmental factors. That research will continue to guide our work, and we’ve learned a lot about the importance of adapting our strategies to the changing needs, ideas, and opportunities in the communities we serve. Our mission to protect and improve the health and wellness of the people of California remains the same, and our strategic planning process will incorporate insights from Advancing Wellness to set a new framework for our future work.
Why a “strategic framework”?
A strategic framework, rather than a fixed plan, will serve as a compass as we navigate the changing needs and opportunities in California communities. This framework will spell out our goals and priorities as well as an approach to adapting and responding to shifts in the environment. The strategic framework also will integrate work across the foundation to meet our goals. We aim to use our grantmaking, endowment investments, our voice, and our influence – all our resources – to advance our mission.
How are you developing the strategic framework?
Cal Wellness president and CEO Richard Tate will chair an advisory committee with equal representation of community partners, foundation staff, and board members. This committee will develop and recommend a strategic framework to the foundation’s board of directors. Here’s who will be at the table:
- Community partners: Dr. Venise Curry, Jackie Khor, and Joseph Tomás McKellar.
- Board members: Katherine Katcher, Debra Nakatomi, and Dr. Pamela Simms-Mackey.
- Staff members: Managing Director of Programs Veronica Carrizales, Director of Government Affairs Joseph Villela, and Senior Program Officer Jennifer Wright.
To ensure the work of this committee is deeply informed by community perspectives, we'll be reviewing insights from focus groups with 94 grantee organizations across the state gathered in our recent assessment of our Advancing Wellness strategy and results from grantee and declined applicant surveys conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. We’ll also be conducting additional interviews with grantee partners, people with expertise on issues impacting health and wellness in California, and other funders to inform the development of our strategic framework.
Supporting the process will be advisors from the Constellation Consulting Group, Cal Wellness Director of Learning and Innovation Tina Eshaghpour and Vice President of Programs Lori Cox.
What’s the timeline?
The process to develop the strategic framework will be completed in 2025. The Strategic Planning Advisory Committee began work in January and will make a recommendation to the Cal Wellness board of directors midyear. We expect to begin operating under the new strategic framework in 2026.
Will you pause grantmaking during planning?
No – we are committed to continuing our core work in 2025, including grant-making, mission-aligned investing, strategic communications, community engagement activities and advocacy efforts.
Will you accept new letters of interest?
Yes, grant-seekers may continue to submit letters of interest in these program areas.
What will not change?
Our mission as a health foundation committed to racial justice and responsiveness will continue. We’re committed to being a statewide foundation that makes grants across California and leverages all our assets to advance health for all. In our grantmaking, we will continue to prioritize core operating support and multi-year funding, and in all our work we will look to collaborate with community leaders, foundations and cross-sector partners to meet our goals.
Will you be providing updates?
Yes, we will be communicating our planning process through the Building the Power to Be Well campaign. Follow Cal Wellness on LinkedIn, Facebook and Bluesky for the latest updates. Sign up for our e-newsletter here to stay informed.