Strengthening community health ecosystems grounded in health equity and racial justice (Core Operating Support)

Strengthening and maintaining policy and advocacy momentum, while amplifying community-centered narratives, is central to advancing equitable community health ecosystems. Building on our long-standing partnerships, we’re working across current collaborators and expanding our networks—including new partners and others connected through shared priorities—to pursue place-based opportunities, provide responsive cohort-based technical assistance, and engage in field-wide dialogue and exploration. Together, these efforts strengthen collective capacity to advance community-driven strategies for health equity and racial justice and to counter the growing pushback on the public’s health. This project runs from May 2025 to April 2027. 

Our work contributes to lasting systems change by advancing community health ecosystems rooted in equity, justice, and collective wellbeing. We deepen understanding of how interconnected systems shape health, safety, and opportunity; align policy and narrative strategies that reinforce community power; and expand the use of contextual and experiential evidence in decision-making. We also elevate affirmative, community-centered narratives that highlight abundance, interdependence, and shared responsibility to build momentum for policies and practices that sustain healthy, thriving communities. 

Primary activities:

• Conducting analyses to identify opportunities for aligned, equity-focused policy and narrative action;

• Building and expanding partnerships across community-based organizations, advocacy coalitions, and public health institutions;

• Developing shared resources, learning opportunities, and cohort-based technical assistance to strengthen narrative and policy capacity;

• Convening national, state, and local partners to identify shared priorities and collective opportunities; and

• Supporting regional engagement in Houston, TX, and Memphis, TN, to connect ecosystem partners and advance aligned strategies.