The Mission Sustainability Initiative (MSI) at Forefront provides resources and support to nonprofits looking to strengthen their organization through strategic partnerships. Listen to this conversation between our Program Officer Tina Ramirez Moon and Molly Baltman Leonard, Assistant Director of the Communities Program at the McCormick Foundation, who co-chair the MSI

Our Vice Chair Carl Bergetz, General Counsel for Rush University System for Health and adjunct professor at University of Illinois College of Law, was recently interviewed by Crain’s Chicago Business about the need for reforming health law and policy in Illinois.  Here is an excerpt of that interview: Q: In

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JANUARY 28 2021 Media Contact: Jackie Rodriguez, 708-443-4518, jrodriguez@hcfdn.org  Healthy Communities Foundation announces new Board Officer appointments, effective as of January 1, 2021. Riverside, IL—The Healthy Communities Foundation is pleased to announce new Board Officer appointments, effective as of January 1, 2021. Grace Hou’s term as Board

We are saddened and outraged about the white supremacist violence that we, as a country, witnessed on January 6th at the U.S. Capitol. Amid feelings of anger and disbelief, we must hold on tightly to hope and light that exists in the darkness. As we persist in our battle against

The Health & Medicine Policy Research Group, Community Memorial Foundation, and Healthy Communities Foundation hosted the “Community Health Worker Model: Lessons Learned and Impact in the Western Suburbs” webinar on December 4th. As the Community Health Worker (CHW) pilot heads into its third year, speakers shared their experiences and insights

On December 8th, our President Maria Pesqueira, along with John Palfrey of MacArthur Foundation and Nicole Taylor of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, participated in “The President’s Forum on Racial Equity in Philanthropy” panel discussion, hosted by Keecha Harris & Associates and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. In this virtual roundtable, the

We are thrilled to share that our President Maria S. Pesqueira was recently elected to the Grantmakers in Health Board of Directors! Maria joins four new board members who will begin their three-year term in March 2021. Maria’s experience, perspective, and vision will be great contributions to the board and

The Healthy Communities Foundation sponsored registration to the virtual Facing Race Conference, the largest multiracial, intergenerational biannual gathering for leaders advancing racial justice, for nearly 100 local health leaders. These health leaders represented 42 grantee partners who attended on behalf of Healthy Communities Foundation from November 10-12, 2020. “Racial equity

For foundations, how can equity be embedded in grantmaking, policies, and culture? What does the word “equity” really mean and why does it matter? Healthy Communities Foundation’s equity journey was recently featured in a recent Exponent Philanthropy Spotlight Report. This report describes how over the past four years, our foundation

Our President Maria Pesqueira participated in Forefront-Philanthropy Club’s November 17th panel “Addressing Racial Equity and Health Equity: How Can Foundations and Nonprofits Work Together Better?”. Jacki Davidoff, Advisory Board Member of The Philanthropy Club and Principal and Chief Potential Officer at Davidoff Strategy moderated the conversation. On the panel, Maria

Audio recording of this blog by Nora Garcia. //hcfdn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Solution-to-Vaccine-Inequity-is-Already-Here.mp3 As cities across the nation and within the greater Chicago region began to launch vaccine roll–out and distribution—a much-anticipated end-phase to the COVID-19 pandemic—whispers of frustration have strengthened to become a critical public discourse of compounding racial/ethnic and health inequities for Black, Latinx, Arab and Native communities. Health department officials, peer funders, and health

Amalia Rioja, whose tenure as our new Board Chair began in January, talks with our President Maria Pesqueira about what the road to recovery looks like for our region, the role of Healthy Communities Foundation, and what she looks forward to in her new role. Listen to or read their conversation

This post originally appeared in the Grantmakers in Health’s “Views from the Field” in the January 2021 Bulletin. COVID-19 has not been an equal opportunity pandemic. It has impacted Latinx, Black and Indigenous communities, immigrants, older adults, and the uninsured more profoundly than the general population. At the start of

This year has been like no other. Our region and communities, particularly our Legacy & Equity zip codes, have devastatingly felt the impact of the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and structural racism. Our President Maria Pesqueira and IDHS Secretary Grace Hou, whose term as Board Chair ends at the end

This post originally appeared on the Exponent Philanthropy blog. Audio recording of this blog by Tina Ramirez Moon //hcfdn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/How-Deep-Relationships-With-Community-Informs-Our-Grantmakingwithintrooutro.mp3 The coronavirus pandemic has opened many of our eyes to how sectors and systems do or don’t address the ever-growing health and income inequities in this country. We can approach this

We are happy to introduce Lynda Murphy as the new Project Manager for The HUB! Since 2018, The HUB, a free digital resource directory and referral platform, has served as an important tool to connect local nonprofit health and social service providers and community members in Chicago, west suburban Cook

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew. This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.” –Arundhati Roy, “The Pandemic is a Portal,” Financial Times. This quote guided the Healthy Communities Foundation staff as

Equity is everywhere. More than ever, organizations are asked to demonstrate how they address social inequities, not just by what they do, but by who they are and how they do it. Funders are no exception. How does an organization start? How can equity be embedded in grantmaking, policies, and

The newest member of the HCF team, Gillian Knight, introduces herself and talks about her work to help establish an evaluation framework for the Foundation that is rooted in equity.  My name is Gillian Knight and I am the new Program Associate at Healthy Communities Foundation. My role is to

Our Director of Finance, Elva Gonzalez, provides some guidance for nonprofit organizations to maintain financial health as we navigate the challenging times of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought on unprecedented disruption to our lives and in our work. For our grantee partners, they are diligently adjusting their operations to