Below is an overview of CHCF’s grantmaking strategy, with broad three-year goals and specific
areas where we focus on making the biggest difference. Our commitment to advancing health equity
is a defining feature of our entire strategy and is embedded in all our work.
Goal 1. Improving Access to Coverage and Care
We work to broadly strengthen California’s health care safety net so all Californians with low
incomes have access to the care they need when they need it. As part of that, we help stakeholders understand the performance of Medi-Cal to support improvement across the system.
Key Focus Areas:
- Access to Affordable Coverage: Ensuring that all with low incomes have affordable
health coverage and that all who are eligible for Medi-Cal are enrolled. - Access to Primary Care: Ensuring that all Medi-Cal members have access to high-
quality, linguistically and culturally responsive primary care, inclusive of
behavioral health care. Strengthening and diversifying the health workforce, including community health workers and promotores, so the safety net has the people it needs to deliver primary care effectively. - Access to Specialty Care: Spreading the use of telehealth in California’s safety net
and improving access to specialty care for Californians with low incomes.
Goal 2. Advancing People-Centered Care
We work to ensure that Californians — particularly those enrolled in Medi-Cal — receive
responsive, comprehensive, and coordinated care that supports their health and well-being,
and reduces inequities.
Key focus areas:
- Behavioral Health Transformation: Transforming mental health and substance use
treatment so wherever and however care is delivered, it is effective, appropriate,
and accessible, thereby improving outcomes and reducing inequities. Includes
work to improve detection and treatment of maternal mental health conditions. - Care for People with Complex Needs: Helping Medi-Cal enrollees with
challenging health or social circumstances get high-quality medical care and
supportive services that improve their lives. Particular focus on people experiencing homelessness and older adults with low incomes, and supporting implementation of CalAIM. - Advancing Black Health Equity: Improving care and outcomes for Black Californians
Californians by working with health care partners to interrupt racism, build
transparency and accountability around equitable care, and diversify the health
care workforce. Includes work to advance Black birth equity in California.
Goal 3. Laying the Foundation
We invest in people, knowledge, and networks that help to make meaningful change possible in
California’s health care system.
- Market Analysis and Insight: Providing research and analysis so decisionmakers have a
market-wide view of California’s complex health care ecosystem. Includes specific work
aimed at making health care in California more affordable. - High-Quality Health Journalism: Supporting health journalism so Californians have
access to timely, relevant information about the most pressing health care issues. - Building Leadership: Developing the leadership and skills of California’s health care
professionals, state policy partners, and safety-net organizations to meet the challenges
of today and tomorrow. Includes the CHCF Health Care Leadership Program and the
California Improvement Network. - Bridging the Innovation Gap: Enabling safety-net organizations and entrepreneurs to
work together to bring needed innovation to the delivery system.