Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Measurement in Grantmaking
February 2023
Every day we work to support and build inclusive, powerful, and healthy communities characterized by racial equity and economically just systems
Our commitment to change will focus on working to improve the lives of people who experience the greatest injustices in health outcomes, including:
People of color whose health outcomes are shaped by structural racism and other socioeconomic conditions
To achieve health equity and secure a fair and just region through leadership, advocacy, and resources.
People in rural areas where systemic barriers hinder optimal health
These communities often overlap with people of varied identities who experience economic insecurity, live in marginalized conditions, and find barriers to accessing high-quality care that is affordable, equitable, and trauma-informed.
At Health Forward Foundation, we strive to partner with diverse nonprofit organizations across our community in an equitable way.
To achieve this goal we are closely examining who we are partnering with, who leads our partner organizations, and who serves on their boards of directors. We’re also examining which communities are served through our funding. Understanding more about the demographics of our funded partners ensures we are effectively reaching our communities of focus.
This report is a starting place and contains baseline data from 2021. We will re-examine related numbers and data each year. In the meantime, we will continue to diversify those who engage with our grantmaking at all levels in order to hold ourselves accountable to our purpose and mission.
n=1915 Board members of 149 organizations
As part of our grant application, organizations provide the demographics of their board members. When looking at the people who serve on these boards, we found that the majority (68 percent) were white.
Assistance with board diversification is often a topic of conversation with our grantee partners. Moving forward, we see Health Forward playing an important role in building the capacity of Kansas City’s regional nonprofit ecosystem. One example of how we are thinking about this work is the KC Health Equity Learning Action Network, which includes more than 50 organizations partnering to instill antiracism, equity, community, and humanity into our regional health ecosystem.
Native American/ American Indian/ Indigenous
Hispanic/Latino/ Latinx 1% 21%
When looking at the people who serve on our grantee organizations’ boards, we found that the majority (68 percent) were white.
White/Caucasian/ European
68%
Asian American/ Pacific Islander/ Asian
7% 5
Although a majority of people across all grantee boards identified as white, we also examined board composition at the organizational level and found that 25 percent of our 2021 grantee organizations had diverse boards (50 percent or more of their board members were people of color).
with 50% or more of board members identifying as people of color
with less than 50% of board members identifying as people of color
31 percent of our 2021 grantee organizations were led by a person of color, representing an investment of $ 5,757,225.
*2 CEOs identified as more than one race
It is important to understand how organizations differ based on the race/ethnicity of their leader. Analysis of our 2021 grant award data shows organizations led by a person of color had substantially smaller organizational budgets than those led by white people.
Examining grant size tells a different story. We have a smaller number of organizations led by Latino leaders, however, grants to those organizations were the largest — at just over $ 161,000. That compares to $ 129,522 for white-led organizations and $ 104,476 for organizations with Black leaders.
$25M
$21,848,945
$20M
0 $15M
$10,228,629
$5,462,761
White/ Caucasian/ European n=105
$831,501 $455,038
Black/African American/ African
Hispanic/ Latino/ Latinx
Asian American/ Pacific
Native American/ American Indian/ Indigenous $10M
Grantee Population Served (averaged 203 grants to 149 organizations)
Each grantee provides information on the race and ethnicity of the people they serve. Looking at individuals served by our grant dollars, we found that two thirds are people of color. Importantly, this aligns with one of our communities of focus — those affected by systemic racism.
The demographics of those served by, and the people within, our partner organizations are more diverse than our region as a whole.
Although the data show that people of color are significantly represented in those served, the leadership of these organizations are not: it is important to have people of colors lead in the work to address the issues affecting people of color.
Overall, race and ethnicity varies greatly by category examined. Based on current data, we found that the population served category is the most diverse, followed by organizational staff, and then organization leadership.
59%
Average percent of Persons of Color served with a Health Forward Grant
32%
Percent of total numbers of Board Members of Color
44%
Average percent of grantees with staff of color
31%
Percent of grantees with CEO’s of color
Our commitment to change focuses on working to improve the lives of people who experience the greatest injustices in health outcomes. This includes people of color whose health outcomes are shaped by structural racism and other socioeconomic conditions. It also includes people in rural areas where systemic barriers hinder optimal health. This section spotlights how Health Forward is showing up in the rural parts of our service area.
3 counties included (Lafayette, Cass, Allen)
25 total requests
19 grants rewarded
76 percent approval rate
Considering grant dollars awarded proportionate to population, Allen County has been particularly successful. We believe this is in part due to the existence of a health advocacy organization unique to the rural area, which serves as a catalyst for community engagement and health programming. Based on our experience with the rural counties we serve, having a coordinating body to navigate application processes and facilitate collaborations across organizations greatly improves their funding success.
The rural counties within our service area have unique communities, strengths, and challenges. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy in addressing their health needs.
Our rural counties are highly successful when it comes to securing grant awards.
