Years ago, I attended an event where I heard an author who writes about resilience talk about the hallmarks of innovative leaders. The trait that stood out to me was this: the ability to think in multiple time frames.
We’re living in a time where the urgency of the moment often overwhelms our ability to think long term. As 2025 begins, I’m embarking on a project with my colleagues at Cal Wellness to do just that. This year, we begin work to update our foundation strategy, an effort we committed to before I stepped into the CEO role in late 2023.
And now we’re ready. We’ve learned a great deal operating under our Advancing Wellness strategy, launched in 2014 as a 10-year grantmaking program. The opportunity to think expansively about the future of Cal Wellness fills me with hope and determination to deepen our impact as a health foundation, especially for Californians most affected by racial and economic injustice.
The start of the year has been hard. Fires in LA. Political disruption. Attacks on people, communities and values central to our work. These are threats to the progress we’ve made to advance health and wellness in our state. And yet I am inspired by the compassionate response, unwavering commitment, and bold organizing efforts of our partners. We know that, as a foundation, standing with our communities and being responsive to emerging needs and opportunities is the way forward, especially in turbulent 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.
We’ll carry this spirit of resilience into our strategic planning process this year as we assess the landscape, hear from partners, reflect on the lessons we’ve learned, and dream boldly about how we can create a California where everyone lives healthy and well. We are committed to using every tool at our disposal – grant dollars, endowment investments, our voice, and our influence – to advance our mission. Visit our FAQs for more on our approach to strategic planning.
We’ll also be updating you throughout our planning process, and we’ll continue our normal operations in parallel – grantmaking, mission-related investing, strategic communications and advocacy efforts. It’s all part of our work to build the power to be well in California today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Watch the below video to learn more about Cal Wellness' strategic planning process in 2025.
