NWHF’s Case for Equity: a tool for current and future grantees and funding partners

We recently rewrote our Case for Equity.

It had become clear that we cannot treat our equity priorities as separate from one another, because we know intersecting factors like race, gender, geography, disability and class compound to create even greater barriers to health. Northwest Health Foundation has chosen to give our time, money and support to those who are furthest from power but closest to solutions. Through research and experience, we know that the largest factor of bias is race. So, to advance equity and maximize the effect of our limited resources, we put race first and continue to uplift geography and disability as critical intersections.

We have also started using a Black, Indigenous and people of color framework (BIPOC). A BIPOC framework recognizes the particular experiences of Black and Native people in America. We can’t ignore or escape our history of colonialism, genocide and slavery. By prioritizing Black and Indigenous expertise and leadership, we acknowledge that this history needs intentional repair. This neither undermines or diminishes racial violence and oppression experienced by other groups. It does recognize that in the U.S. context, racism was built on anti-Black and anti-Native foundations. We believe all communities of color will succeed when we work together to fight against anti-Blackness and Native erasure.

Along with rewriting our Case for Equity, we updated our Guiding Principles. Our new Guiding Principles reflect a shift from our previous focus on traditional public health approaches to a focus on community leadership and building power as a means to achieve long-term health.

We’re putting this into action, most recently in the launch of our Civic Health initiative. We’re grateful and thankful for the many voices reflected in our new Case for Equity and Guiding Principles. And both will continue to guide the decision-making we do as an organization in the months and years to come.