By Ruth Holton

Funding in the public policy arena has always been an integral part of The California Wellness Foundation’s grantmaking program and it complements our direct-service grantmaking,¹ which is 50 percent of our annual grants. Founding board members believed that funding public policy was one of the critical components for achieving the Foundation’s mission: “to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention.” Its importance is reflected in one of the Foundation’s four goals: “to inform the development of public policies that promote wellness and enhance access to preventive health care.” Each of the Foundation’s five initiatives, Violence Prevention, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Work and Health, Children and Youth Community Health, and Health Improvement, had public policy aspects, and public policy has been a substantial part of the Special Projects Fund’s grantmaking. Public policy is also one of the cross-cutting themes of the Foundation’s eight current priority areas.² 

TCWF public policy grantmaking covers the gamut of legally permissible philanthropic activity to inform the legislative, administrative or judicial actions of all levels of government. To date, TCWF has given grants totaling more than $346 million, of which approximately 20 percent has been in the public policy arena. The three main areas of our public policy grantmaking are for public education campaigns, policy research and analysis, and advocacy. 

The purpose of this paper is to share with the field our experience in funding public policy, the reasons why we continue to see it as central to improving the health of Californians, and, by sharing these experiences, encourage others to consider funding in the public policy arena. 

First some general observations:

• A foundation should determine if public policy has the potential to affect its mission. Many health foundations have missions to improve health or to improve access to care. Public policy has definite implications for achieving such missions. Specific public policy goals can serve as important guideposts against which to assess potential projects. This clarity is also helpful for new directors and new staff.
• One of the most effective ways to leverage foundation dollars is by funding public policy efforts. Many long-term, sustainable solutions for the issues that health foundations are addressing, such as building healthy communities, bringing effective programs to scale, improving the delivery of service, and increasing access to health and social services, involve changing public policy. We strongly believe we have the potential to improve the health of far more Californians through the work of our public policy grantees than we could ever hope to reach through funding direct service alone.³
• Public policy isn’t just for “policy wonks.” Some of the most effective public policy work is done by those directly affected by the problem that needs to be resolved: community members, including youth, working to make their communities healthy and safe places to live; direct-service providers who know what the problems are and have solutions; and individuals who don’t have access to basic services because of eligibility barriers or lack of funding. TCWF grants to build the capacity of community coalitions, community organizing groups and grassroots organizations to engage in policy efforts have helped grantees ban the sale of Saturday night specials⁴ in their communities; increase local funding streams for health care for the uninsured; make their neighborhoods cleaner and safer; and restrict the number of liquor stores allowed in the community. 

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