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Unhealthy cultural norms for male behavior, referred to as toxic masculinity, are widespread. In a recent statewide survey by the Blue Shield of California Foundation of almost 2,000 Californians from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, a majority of respondents said they felt “our” culture (interpreted as either mainstream White culture, or their own culture), pressures men to conform to gender norms such as being aggressively competitive and dominating or being in charge of others.

Amid a pandemic that shined a harsh light on domestic violence, Californians are increasingly viewing these abuses as a pressing social issue, according to a new survery of nearly 2,000 adults.

Carolyn Wang Kong, Chief Program Director of the Blue Shield of California Foundation, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2021 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy. The award recognizes outstanding health grantmakers whose work is distinguished by leadership, innovation, and outstanding achievement.

Last week, a coalition of funders launched the California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) to finance Black-led organizations throughout the state. Along with its explicit support for Black leadership, the fund is notable for its focus on power-building, according to Akonadi Foundation President Lateefah Simon.

Philanthropic organizations and funders have joined together to launch the California Black Freedom Fund, a new $100 million initiative to provide abundant resources to Black-led power-building organizations in the state over the next five years. Co-created with Black leaders and organizers, the first-of-its-kind fund will ensure that California's growing ecosystem of locally rooted Black-led organizing efforts have the sustained investments and resources they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism.

Domestic violence all too often explodes outside of California’s homes, resulting in the deaths of not only people in those households but also law enforcement and collateral victims. State leaders could prevent these tragedies, the Little Hoover Commission stated in a report released Friday titled “Beyond the Crisis: A Long-Term Approach to Reduce, Prevent, and Recover from Intimate Partner Violence.” Domestic violence now is treated as a family issue, but Little Hoover’s staff recommended in this report that state leaders adopt a strategic statewide plan for early intervention that is based on accurate data.

"The All In For Kids Fund will support Bay Area families that currently navigate fragmented systems, missing critical opportunities for healing and prevention. To break the cycle of domestic violence we must reduce childhood exposure to violence in the home," said Debbie Chang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Shield of California Foundation. "The project will bring together the experiences of families, with a focus on racial equity, to prevent domestic violence and childhood adversity. By strengthening and supporting the systems that care for children, we can have a positive impact today, and lay the groundwork for a future without domestic violence and childhood trauma."

To build a truly equitable state, CA FWD and its wide array of partners understand the need to hold policy and decision makers, as well as each other accountable for progress. On Dec. 3, CA FWD CEO Micah Weinberg and Debbie Chang, president and CEO, Blue Shield of California Foundation unveiled the California Dream Index, a tool that tracks and measures 10 key indicators of economic mobility, security and inclusion. With equity built into the index, the data can be analyzed by race and ethnicity, region, and county as well as income and educational attainment.

For more than three years, California Forward (CA FWD) and its many partners have worked on a ground-breaking project to bring accountability and measurement to the progress the state is making in providing opportunity for all. CA FWD developed the California Dream Index in order to help more residents and families claim their California Dream and to help public and private decision-makers develop data-informed policy decisions that also keep us accountable for progress.

The California Dream Index, launched Dec. 3 by nonprofit California Forward at its annual California Economic Summit, aims to track the state’s fight against economic inequity. The index will better inform policymakers and community leaders on whether their actions are making a difference.

Effort Aims to Prevent Childhood Trauma, Break the Cycle of Domestic Violence and Promote Healing During COVID-19 and beyond. Genentech, Blue Shield of California Foundation Team with Futures Without Violence to Support Community-Led Approaches to Protect Children, Support Communities.

“The threat of homelessness is a significant reason for why [domestic violence] survivors stay in abusive relationships,” says an August 2020 Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) newsletter. Domestic violence prevention is a BSCF funding priority. In 2019 it “funded a statewide evaluation” of nineteen of the thirty-three groups (in California) that implemented the federally funded Domestic Violence Housing First program’s model, which “prioritizes housing stability as the first step toward empowering survivors and their families to regain control of their lives and begin healing.”

Thirteen major philanthropic foundations have pooled resources to launch Together Toward Health, which will connect with community based organizations to expand workforce development opportunities for Californians most impacted by COVID-19, and create and amplify public outreach efforts to reduce its spread.

Over the last two years, Blue Shield of California Foundation, in partnership with the FORESIGHT initiative and the Institute for the Future, has supported dozens of conversations with low-income Californians focused on the future of health and family life. People told us plainly that what will make them healthy in the future is deeply connected to escaping their day-to-day struggle for survival and achieving a sense of belonging in their communities, both socially and economically. Hope for the future involves being able to provide for their families and spend time with their children.

Building on the state’s comprehensive actions to support diverse communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, Governor Gavin Newsom announced $81.8 million in additional commitments from private and philanthropic partners to provide resources and services for individuals needing to isolate or quarantine. Blue Shield of California Foundation is proud to partner with the Office of the Governor on these efforts.