Advancing Community-Led Change

We operationalize our values through intentional, community-led and community-owned efforts with partners across the United States working in a diverse array of sectors, communities, and issue areas. Our tools and approach to our work is necessarily flexible to support leader colleagues in accessing resources starting from what they think is important to the health and well-being of their communities.  

Shift Clinic

This Shift Clinic provides technical assistance to community leaders to identify and access resources from health systems and funders. We believe resources are needed to achieve systems change and we believe the power to decide on how resources should be best utilized to make the kind of change we want to see in the world should be situated in the hands of communities. The Clinic approach activates a network of community and cross-sector leaders to change the systems for how healthcare institutions invest in racial and health equity—as defined and led by communities experiencing those inequities in diverse geographies. Through the Clinic effort, we support community leaders: 

  • Test and refine tools to “translate” community-defined outcomes into pitches for health funders, including philanthropy, healthcare institutions, and corporations;
  • Support community leaders to direct healthcare investments into the outcomes their communities define;
  • Align community leaders and healthcare institutions to practice their commitments to racial and health equity by moving resources into community-led and controlled work; 
  • Position community leaders to hold healthcare and health systems accountable for their equity commitments;
  • Uplift learning and thought leadership on levers to influence decision-making and accountability specific to how healthcare invests in health equity;  and
  • Articulate the importance of healing in racial equity work, and develop strategies pooled funding for healing-related activities in community change initiatives

Shift Collaborative Fund

In 2022, Shift is piloting its Collaborative Fund using a participatory approach to grantmaking, seeded by the Blue Shield of California Foundation. Such an approach is designed to allow the communities the resources ultimately support be involved in all aspects of the grantmaking process. We are learning from others in the field such as the Boston Ujima Project, Buen Vivir Fund, Third Wave Fund, Real Peoples Fund. Shift launched an Investment Committee that is designing an approach to further the field of participatory grantmaking through this effort. Ultimately, the vision of the Collaborative Fund is to grow the resources to further refine the approach, seed new initiatives of community leaders, and move resources into the hands of community leaders.

Shift Healthcare Accountability Protocol

Shift is advancing a Healthcare Accountability Protocol, an accountability tool for health systems to center community leadership as a key strategy to achieve health and racial equity. Health system funders recognize that health happens in communities and are searching for ways to advance racial and health equity by centering community voices in decision-making. Often, health system funders have demonstrated their interest in systems change through statements and commitments, but lack the tools, strategies and community partnerships required to operationalize those commitments. In other cases, health systems are investing in technology tools and other "solutions," without resourcing the very communities that experience the impact of systemic racism and persistent marginalization. And yet, how to operationalize commitments to equity is emergent in the field. Health systems are well-positioned to be leaders by leaning in on what it takes to think through institutional accountability and innovative metrics by enhancing their data systems, leadership, and investments into achieving equity.

The protocol advances shared power and aims to create spaces where communities are leading efforts to define priorities for equitable health and well-being. Shift is actively testing this approach by providing technical assistance to health systems interested in implementing and institutionalizing community-led decision-making in investments aimed at addressing racial and health equity.

Healthcare Accountability Learning and Action Network

Shift is convening the Healthcare Accountability Learning and Action Network, building on our experience convening the Value of Prevention Network, launched in 2020, a network of healthcare and community leaders advancing sector-level thought leadership and seeding collaboration to influence healthcare investments to center community decision-making, governance and ownership. The Network is made up of healthcare leaders who are immersed in anti-racism and health equity work inside of their institutions, and are seeking further understanding and accountability related to power-sharing practices. The network is part learning - exploring a political education around principles and topic areas leveraging Shift’s expertise in participatory grantmaking/investing, community organizing, power analysis, equitable facilitation, community data ownership, part action, intended to support leaders in advancing tests of change within their institutions and communities. Ultimately, the network aims to establish national standards for community-healthcare power sharing partnerships that healthcare institutions can practice in their journey of accountability to commitments to health equity, racial justice and health -- including in the areas of health investments, technology and data ownership, and governance.

Shift Ratecards

Improving health and quality of life requires moving interconnected systems. Ratecards designed by Shift Health Accelerator recognize it takes a diverse set of interventions, from multiple community providers, to generate outcomes of interest to multiple types of funders, in places across the United States. A Ratecard is a menu of outcomes, linked by a logic model, and tied to a base of evidence. The Ratecards influence the systems underlying health equity and the paths to achieve a Culture of Health.

Economic Inclusion Rate Card

Food Sovereignty Rate Card

Built Environment Rate Card

And No One Walks Alone

Shift provides Advisory Services to organizations, institutions, associations, and sector leaders to center community-led change. We partner on community-centered evaluations, vision setting, resource decisions and governance, and building networks to shift power and resources into the hands of communities advancing racial and health equity.