In July, we gathered our second cohort of multi-year partners to mark the midpoint of our five-year partnership. Announced in 2024, this $22 million investment supports 32 organizations working across most of the 27 zip codes in our service region to advance health equity for the people who call this region home.
These organizations connect health to the community conditions that shape it, including housing, mental health, and civic engagement. Their varied strategies reflect a shared goal to change the systems, policies, practices, and everyday conditions that affect community health and well-being.
Multi-year, trusted partnerships are core to how we believe lasting change happens. Real progress in community health takes sustained relationships with organizations doing the work and trust in their leadership.
That trust extends across many forms of work. Partners in the room included organizations providing direct services and community support, as well as policy and community media partners advancing systemic change and helping communities access the information and power to shape their health outcomes.
Listening to Our Partners
The idea for the Summer Social came directly from our partners, who told us they wanted more opportunities to connect with fellow organizations doing similar work across the region. The goal was simple: help partners (re)connect with colleagues, build new relationships with people they had not yet met, and learn about issues influencing their work.
Throughout the event, our partners participated in activities designed to spark connection and conversation.
One highlight was a briefing from two of our partners, Legal Council for Health Justice and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), who shared updates on the coming changes to Medicaid and SNAP under H.R.1., a topic that is top-of-mind across our partner network.
Another was “Pin the Place,” where partners marked locations across the HCF region that are meaningful to their communities. Those pins will directly inform where we host future monthly gatherings, focused on wellness, connection, and shared understanding of our partners’ roles in the local health ecosystem. We also hosted a World Cup quarterfinal watch party near our Riverside office, which created a relaxed space to strengthen relationships and draw on the tournament’s energy of hope, joy, and solidarity.
Gatherings like this remind us that our role is not just about grantmaking, but to listen and learn from our partners and help strengthen connections between each other. Thank you to our partners who joined us for the Summer Social, and who reminded us why long-term, trusted partnership is at the center of everything we do.