Year One Recovery Plans
Has partnering with Causewave advanced your foundation's mission in the community? If so, how?
At the beginning of 2020, we updated our mission: To pursue and invest in solutions that build a healthier region where all people can thrive.
When COVID-19 hit in March, the need for solutions and resources could not have been more urgent. As we have navigated through the remainder of the year, we listened intently to the varied needs of our partners and were inspired by the power of our community and the determination and drive to not let the adversity of this year pull us apart.
Causewave’s offering of virtual consultation services during this time provided an innovative solution and extra level of support to our partners and grantees seeking help with COVID planning and response, messaging, HR, finance, and other needs.
We are grateful for the effective and creative problem-solving that the Causewave team provided to our partners -- helping us advance our mission by listening attentively to and supporting the unique and individual needs of varied organizations working to create a healthier region.
At Causewave, we talk about being “a catalyst for meaningful change.” How is your foundation “a catalyst for meaningful change” for our community?
From the beginning of the pandemic in mid-March through today, we have been focused on learning from the experiences of our partners and grantees and adapting our work to match needs.
As a health foundation, we know that health disparities by race are pervasive and rooted in structural racism. We are surrounded by an overwhelming amount of data and evidence on inequitable health outcomes that does not need repeating. What is required for meaningful change is action.
We’re committed to doing the work to become a more equitable organization focused on transformation, rather than transactions. As an organization, we are reviewing and making changes to internal policies and practices with a racial equity lens, engaging in ongoing learning around anti-racism, more intentionally investing in staff of color, and working to create a more inclusive culture.
In our grantmaking investments, we're working to implement strategies that support BIPOC-led organizations, focusing more intentionally on communities/groups that experience the greatest health inequities in our region, and seeking to uplift co-created, community-led solutions. We're also directing funds to support many of the advocacy efforts in the region and ensuring we are positioned to support the solutions generated from racial and social justice movements.
When you think about the future of our community, what gives you cause for hope?
Undoubtedly, the pandemic has further illuminated and added to the social and health inequities in our region that disadvantage communities of color as well as lower-income individuals and families.
We have been in awe at the efforts and collaboration of community activists, our grantees, and our partners such as Causewave, who have been working tirelessly to provide resources and address inequities during these dual public health emergencies.
The pandemic has further exposed and added to the profound racial inequities in our region and we’re encouraged by the way our community is coming together to name and address racism as a public health crisis.
This is a region that rolls up its sleeves and gets to work when difficult times occur, seeking to root out the causes of inequities and make the changes needed to move the community forward, rather than trying to restore the past.
The history of this community has been centered on building for the future, recognizing what has held back progress, and working toward a future that ensures the past is not our future, but our future is ours to determine and will be crafted based on the input and wisdom of the entire community. This gives us cause for hope.
Matthew Kuhlenbeck
President & CEO, Greater Rochester Health Foundation