Access to quality, affordable healthcare is vital for leading a fulfilling, healthier life. Yet, social and systemic factors have a significant impact on our overall health. As a community-led and engaged foundation operating in a specific region of Chicago and the western Cook County suburbs, our mission is to center community context in our grantmaking, meet immediate and emergent health and wellness needs, especially for the underserved and underinsured, and catalyze long-term systems change to address the root causes of health inequities.
The Healthy Communities Foundation focuses on general operating support grants as the core of its grantmaking strategy. Committed to shifting from emergency response to long-term strategic investments, these grants are particularly aimed at addressing the social determinants of health in their region. They operate within the Legacy & Equity area, emphasizing health equity through unrestricted general operating support. This support evolves into two strands: Annual and Multi-Year Partnerships.
The foundation funds initiatives within a specific geographic region defined by the service area of MacNeal Hospital, covering a five-mile radius around the hospital, which includes 27 zip codes in Chicago and western Cook County suburbs.