OAKLAND, Calif., March 1, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Blue Shield of California has made a $40-million contribution to Blue Shield of California Foundation to support its efforts to end domestic violence and to make California the healthiest state. The nonprofit health plan has contributed more than $150 million to its foundation over the past four years.

Blue Shield of California Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization that is funded entirely by contributions from Blue Shield of California. Blue Shield is a tax paying, nonprofit health plan that serves more than 4 million people in the Golden State with a mission to help all Californians have access to high-quality health care at an affordable price. Blue Shield caps its net income at 2% and has a commitment to return money it earns above that target to the community and its members.

“We are pleased to support, and continue to appreciate, the great work by Blue Shield of California Foundation,” said Paul Markovich, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California. “The foundation has an incredibly positive impact through its programs and partnerships with community-based groups across the state.”

Said Debbie Chang, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California Foundation: “We are grateful for the support of Blue Shield of California, which enables us to make progress toward our bold goals of making California the healthiest state and ending domestic violence. By working closely with our grantees, partners and the communities most affected by health inequity and domestic violence, we strive to make impact at the system level, in order to create lasting and sustainable change for more people. In addition, we can move swiftly in times of great need, such as to support the communities hardest hit by the pandemic.”

Last year, the foundation awarded 113 grants totaling $26.5 million to improve lives, including:

• Grants totaling $12 million to support Californians hardest hit by the pandemic. The Foundation’s seed funding helped launch the statewide Immigrant Resilience Fund to provide direct relief to undocumented immigrants that were excluded from federal relief efforts. The Foundation also joined 12 other funders to launch Together Toward Health, a statewide initiative to support response, outreach and job opportunities in the communities most affected by COVID-19. Additional grants included emergency support to those facing domestic violence during the pandemic.
• Continued leadership and investment in domestic violence prevention. This includes funding California’s Domestic Violence Housing First program, an innovative model that uses flexible cash assistance to prevent homelessness for domestic violence survivors. The Foundation also is a founding donor of All In For Kids, a fund to prevent childhood trauma and end domestic violence in the Bay Area. Additional grants focus on engaging girls and women of color in healing and safety, and strengthening a network of men and boys of color working to end gender-based violence.   
• Innovations to improve the financial security of Californians, particularly people of color and low-income workers. Given the close connection between economic position and health and well-being, the Foundation invested in efforts to improve economic conditions for childcare workers, student-parents at community colleges and domestic violence survivors. The Foundation also supported policy solutions that increase income and give time for health such as expanding paid family leave and the earned income tax credit.

Here is a breakdown of how foundation grants were made across the state in 2020:

About Blue Shield of California Foundation
Blue Shield of California Foundation supports lasting and equitable solutions to make California the healthiest state and end domestic violence. When we work together to remove the barriers to health and well-being, especially for Californians most affected, we can create a more just and equitable future. For more information, visit:  www.blueshieldcafoundation.org and please join us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California strives to create a health care system worthy of our family and friends that is sustainably affordable. We are a tax paying, not for profit, independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association with over 4 million members, 6,800 employees and more than $21 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 Oakland-based Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare health care service plans in California..

For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com.
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SOURCE Blue Shield of California