2021 CAC Review of Health Forward Foundation

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE 2021 REVIEW OF H E A LT H F O R W A R D

Introduction Each year the Community Advisory Committee assesses Health Forward Foundation’s body of work and its impact on our communities. As representatives for our respective communities, it was our honor to undertake this review, and to highlight some of the notable efforts in 2021. As part of this year’s assessment, we attended board and committee meetings and spoke in greater detail with board committee chairs and staff leadership.

Review Committee Carey Spain, Chair Alan Flory Aaron Link Lana McKinney Cynthia Riker Jennifer Sykes, Health Forward staff representative

Approved by 2022 Community Advisory Committee

Purpose alignment process Health Forward spent 2021 undergoing a purpose alignment process that re-examined the ways in which its leadership, advocacy, and resources could have the greatest impact possible on the health of our communities. The process included listening to real-life experiences, studying data and research, and examining social and political factors. In January 2022, Health Forward announced the results of this process that culminated in a new purpose promoting racial equity, economic inclusion, and health equity:

Every day we work to support and build inclusive, powerful, and healthy communities characterized by racial equity and economically just systems.

The foundation also revised its mission statement to better reflect this purpose, and announced new People, Power, Place purpose areas as a strategic guide for its future work. Outcomes will result in: • A high-quality and equitable community health ecosystem • Strong community organizations and voices • Equitable and just places that foster health and economic advancement

W e recognize the staff for their extensive work and effort in

this endeavor. We commend Health Forward’s staff and board for listening, evaluating, and fine-tuning such a bold purpose for our region. We understand the grantmaking will evolve but we appreciate that Health Forward provided funding through 2022, ensuring its historical partners receive support through the transition. While this work is just beginning, we are excited to see Health Forward prioritize solutions that address racial equity, economic inclusion, and health equity as a cohesive entity rather than separate issues.

The future of our region looks bright.

Finance and investments 2021 was a year of big changes for the Health Forward’s finance department. Rick Zimmer announced his retirement after serving 12 years as CFO. In December, Christie Briscoe Zarkovich was hired as chief administrative, financial, and investment officer.

With a background in private equity, family office, and foundation management, Christie joins long-time accounting director Christena Diven in leading Health Forward into its next phase of finance and investment.

The board’s Finance and Investment Committee body of work this year included: 1. Created a revised spending policy to allow increased grant funding by increasing the lower end of the inflationadjusted methodology, with corresponding increases in administrative expenses allowed.

2. Committed capital to diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives by approving two substantial investments with minority-owned investment manager firms.

3. Supported by strong returns from equity markets, the portfolio assets ended the year at $945 million.

W e thank Rick Zimmer for his wise stewardship and dedicated

service to Health Forward. We are also pleased to welcome Christie Briscoe Zarkovich, who brings rich experience in social change investment that will further Health Forward’s goal of economic inclusion. We expect the board and finance staff will continue the tradition of deliberate stewardship that grows and preserves assets for future generations. We approve of efforts to diversify investments with minority-owned firms and encourage further incorporation of diversity, equity, and inclusion with Health Forward’s asset management. Finally, raising the floor of inflation-adjusted capital will better address local and current high-priority needs.

2022 Health Forward Board Members 21 TOTAL MEMBERS

RACE BY ETHNICITY 45% 35% 10%

H I S PAN I C AN D LAT I N O /A/ X

10%

AS I AN AN D PAC I F I C I S LAN D E R

10

20

30

MEMBERS

BY GENDER

W H I TE

B LAC K

43 % F EMAL E 40

50

57 % MAL E

2021 Governance The board began discussing purpose-driven leadership, which seeks to center around and share power within the communities it serves.

Part of that power sharing comes from diversifying representation on the board of directors and ensuring inclusion of those impacted by its work.

As an introductory measure, the board developed a statement of commitment to uphold Health Forward’s new purpose and to guide the organization, always focusing on equity and inclusion.

New and returning board members signed this commitment, and it will continue to be part of future board appointments.

D iversity does not solely exist in the demographic realm of

race, geography, gender, and age. It also resides in the sphere of experience and perspective. We commend the board for its current diverse configuration and its conversations about diversity and inclusion. We encourage the board to continue to refine recruitment measures to draw talent from our communities. We are pleased that board members developed and signed their commitment to serve in good faith toward building equity and inclusion. It is a strong symbolic action and a lasting reminder of who is at the center of Health Forward’s work.

Continued COVID-19 response With the advent of COVID-19 vaccines, Health Forward shifted its leadership, advocacy, and resources toward providing equitable access to vaccinations, testing, and contact tracing. Recognizing transportation as a significant barrier to accessing services, Health Forward and its partners also funded ride-sharing in its vaccination efforts.

Rather than running vaccination campaigns, Health Forward partnered with REACH Healthcare Foundation and Wyandotte Health Foundation to fund $271,600 in mini-grants to provide vaccine education, counteract vaccine hesitancy and distrust, and improve uptake rates in communities of color, rural areas, and targeted neighborhoods. Internally, Health Forward issued a vaccine mandate for staff and board, a decision both groups supported.

W e are pleased that Health Forward continues to support the ongoing work of safety net providers during the pandemic. They showed insight in addressing barriers that might have thwarted outcomes, and in supporting community-trusted nonprofits for outreach. We also approve of the organizational mandate that signaled implicit support for vaccination efforts.

Missouri Medicaid expansion As a primary funder of the campaign that presented Missouri Medicaid expansion to voters in 2020, Health Forward co-funded the successful lawsuit defending the constitutional rights of the expansion population to enrollment in the Medicaid program and co-led the strategy setting around the case. They allocated $450,000 in mini-grants to support Medicaid expansion education and enrollment efforts in our communities.

W e support Health Forward’s continued commitment to

implementing Medicaid expansion. The foundation did an exemplary job of responding quickly by offering mini-grants to support rapidly emerging issues. We are pleased that staff continue to evolve and evaluate their work in order to best serve our communities and to illuminate new opportunities for collaboration and partnership.

HEALTHFORWARD.ORG / CAC