Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Awards Nearly $1 Million in Grants
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, a nonprofit grantmaking and research organization, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved nearly $1 million in grants to 14 organizations working to expand access to care and reduce inequities in health care.
The Foundation’s Board of Directors approved approximately $709,000 for Strengthening the Voice for Access, a program that supports statewide advocacy organizations that are working to expand access to health care and promote the interests of people who are marginalized. The program dates back to the Foundation’s inception in 2001 and continues to play a critical role in its mission. The following 10 organizations received grants:
• Boston Center for Independent Living
• Disability Policy Consortium
• Health Care For All
• Health Law Advocates
• Massachusetts Association for Mental Health
• Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
• Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
• Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
• Massachusetts Public Health Association
• Massachusetts Senior Action Council
“These investments have historically focused on broadening access to health care and preserving the coverage gains we have made for individuals and families in communities across the Commonwealth,” said Foundation President and CEO Audrey Shelto. “Now the grants will also enable the organizations to build capacity to mitigate the effects of newly enacted budget cuts to crucial federal health programs including Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, which are estimated to result in as many as 272,000 Massachusetts residents losing their existing coverage.”
The Board of Directors also approved $180,000 in grants to continue the Racial Justice in Health program that supports statewide and local efforts to advance and defend policies and practices that promote racial justice and equity in health care. A three-year grant program had concluded at the end of 2024.
“We strengthened our investment in the Racial Justice in Health program to ensure that grassroots organizations serving marginalized communities can continue to be an essential part of health advocacy in Massachusetts at this critical time,” said Jacquie Anderson, the Foundation’s Senior Director of Grantmaking. “These grants will strengthen the recipients’ capacity to continue advancing state and local efforts against the erosion of advancements we have made in health coverage and equity.”
The Foundation granted $60,000 for the first of two years of Racial Justice in Health funding to each of the following organizations:
• Asian Women for Health, a peer-led, statewide network based in Somerville dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of Asian women, including cancer survivors and immigrants, through education, advocacy and support.
• GreenRoots, an organization that bridges environmental justice and public health by engaging the most impacted residents in the highly industrial communities of Chelsea and East Boston.
• La Colaborativa, which empowers Latinx immigrants in the Chelsea area to enhance the social and economic health of the community and to hold institutional decision-makers accountable to the community.
The Foundation also approved a grant to the Health Coverage Fellowship, an intensive journalist training program that has moved to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health Communication for its 24th year. The Foundation launched the program in 2002, focusing on issues ranging from public health and mental health to covering the uninsured, controlling skyrocketing costs, and improving quality. The Fellowship selects 13 journalists from across the country each year, and the Foundation’s grant award will support this program, including the participation of two Massachusetts-based journalists.
About the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation
The mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is to ensure equitable access to health care for all those in the Commonwealth who are economically, racially, culturally or socially marginalized. The Foundation was established in 2001 with an initial endowment from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. It operates separately from the company and is governed by its own Board of Directors. For more information, visit www.bluecrossmafoundation.org.
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