We work with state and local governments across California to translate equity and racial justice commitments into sustained institutional practice. Grounded in prevention and community experience, our approach supports public agencies at multiple levels—developing practical frameworks, guiding strategic planning, strengthening implementation infrastructure, and informing more equitable government–community partnerships. Through this work, equity commitments move from principle to practice, embedding prevention and racial justice across policies, programs, budgets, and decision-making processes so public institutions can deliver more equitable outcomes over time.

Developing Practical Frameworks for Equity in Governance

We develop tools and analytic frameworks that help governments integrate equity into how they design policy, allocate resources, and define accountability.

Investing in Equity provides public agencies and advocates with a practical framework and approach to examining how public investments are distributed, identifying who benefits and who is burdened, and aligning funding decisions with community-defined priorities. The framework strengthens transparency, prevention-oriented budgeting, and accountability in public systems.

In partnership with the Big Cities Health Coalition and public health leaders, we co-developed Community Safety Realized through a practitioner-informed process that reframes community safety through a public health lens. The framework clarifies how structural inequities contribute to violence and outlines a pathway toward prevention, multisector collaboration, and reduced reliance on criminal legal responses—supporting cities and counties in aligning policy and practice with equity-centered approaches to safety.

Translating Equity Commitments into Strategy

We support counties in moving from formal equity declarations to actionable, cross-departmental strategies.

In Riverside County, we led development of a Health Equity Strategic Plan to operationalize the County’s resolution declaring racism a public health crisis. Informed by national best practices, community engagement, and collaboration with County staff, the plan establishes a roadmap for integrating equity across departments, programs, and policies—strengthening accountability and sustained implementation.

Our partnership with Los Angeles County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative focused on advancing anti-racist policy strategies and developing a framework for analyzing policy through an anti-racist lens. This work strengthened the County’s capacity to assess how policies perpetuate or dismantle structural racism. Language and frameworks from this collaboration informed the State of Black LA report, and several recommendations were incorporated into the County’s 2023–24 state and federal legislative platforms—demonstrating how equity frameworks can shape policy agendas.

Strengthening Prevention Infrastructure in Practice

Beyond planning, we work alongside public agencies to build the infrastructure needed to implement prevention-oriented, equity-centered strategies.

In Santa Clara County, we partner with the Public Health Department to advance a public health, primary prevention, and systems-change approach to community safety. Building on earlier work informing the County’s Cost of Gun Violence study, we lead the Violence Prevention Learning to Action Collaborative, supporting community-based organizations through applied learning on prevention, healing, narrative strategy, and cross-sector collaboration. We also provide coaching to help develop a sustainable countywide network of violence prevention leaders—strengthening the institutional infrastructure needed to embed prevention and equity into policy and systems over time.

Informing More Equitable Government–Community Partnerships

We also elevate community experience to inform how governments partner with community-based organizations.

In partnership with ChangeLab Solutions and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, and in collaboration with 21 California community-based organizations, How California’s Community-Based Organizations Filled the Gaps for Underserved Communities documented how CBOs responded to urgent community needs during the pandemic. Informed by interviews and grounded practice, the work translated frontline experience into policy recommendations for strengthening government–community partnerships—supporting more responsive, equitable, and prevention-oriented public systems.