Why building community power is vital for philanthropy

This article provides insights from the Lead Local collaboration, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examining the role community power plays in catalyzing, creating, and sustaining conditions for healthy, equitable communities. It shares lessons learned and recommendations for funders and partners working on the social determinants of health.

Creating a Culture of Inclusivity

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How Community Health Workers Can Improve Heart Health

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How Medical-Legal Partnerships Can Link Systems to Improve Health Outcomes

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Meet Dr. Daniel Zinnel, Incoming Mid-Iowa Health Foundation Board Member

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Using Data for Systems-Level Advocacy

Advocacy
7/28/23
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7 Benefits of a Statewide System Approach to Community Health Work

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Why I Advocate for Heart Disease Preventive Strategies

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4 Ways to Center Youth in Mental Health Conversations

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Economic Burden of Health Inequities: 5 Insights to Inform Action

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Disability Rights Attorney Shares What Iowans Should Know About Medicaid

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Basic Income: 4 Things to Know

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Prioritizing Advocacy: How a Nonprofit Created a Full-Time Role

Advocacy
2/1/23
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Meet the team leading UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot

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HealthConnect Fellows: Engaging authentically in systems change

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Six Elements to Consider with Community Conversations

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How student research informed the basic income project

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4 ways to measure system-change progress

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Health disparities for Black pregnant Iowans: What you should know

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5 reasons why youth should lead systems-change work

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What we mean by 'system change'

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4 insights from researching housing instability in central Iowa

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Iowa youth aging out of foster care: How are they doing?

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A closer look at mental health in schools during the pandemic

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Get to Know Dr. Nalo Johnson

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5 questions for leaders in philanthropy

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5 ways to think about your personal brand as a part of your work

Leadership
11/1/21
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4 issues impacting children’s health during the pandemic

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7 lessons learned about systems change work

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Preparing yourself to center the voices of those impacted by issues

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Vision vs. Tactics: How we can achieve the change we want to see

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System-change achievements advocates are making for central Iowa’s kids

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How we can begin to find peace in 2021

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Disconnection matters

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3 questions to reshape your policy agenda

Advocacy
10/30/20
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What you should know about homelessness in central Iowa during the pandemic

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Leading system change, even in times of uncertainty

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We must all do our part to be anti-racist

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Lessons in preventing burnout

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5 barriers pregnant women in poverty face in getting the care they need

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What I've learned about system-change work during this time of crisis

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What the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us about system change

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We have the resources to build a better food system here in Iowa

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What we should do about COVID-19 racial disparities in Iowa

Advocacy
5/6/20
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5 things you must know about migrant farmworkers in Iowa

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How we can increase everyone's access to quality foods

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Approaching storytelling with authentic engagement

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How my advocacy work became personal

Advocacy
1/6/20
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Exploring a new use for the Count the Kicks app through fellow connections

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We all can do better for Iowa’s children and families

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One voice for a children’s mental health system

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Persistence for quality health care

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Who's at your table?

Advocacy
11/13/19
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A call to action for Latinx youth

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Housing code for healthier lives

Advocacy
11/7/19
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A small, thoughtful group isn't the only thing

Grassroots
10/16/19
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4 skills to being an effective leader in advocacy

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Decolonizing every table

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The power is in the partnership

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Medicaid makes a difference

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Latinx youth mental health: Resiliency and its limitations

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What does opportunity look like for Iowa children (and are we doing the right things help them thrive)?

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Mobilizing the political will to develop a children's mental health system in Iowa

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Together, inching closer to a tipping point on children's issues

Advocacy
5/22/18
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Long-haul Advocacy: Adopting a long-term, sustained advocacy approach to effective child health systems change

Advocacy
3/29/18
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Housing policy is health policy (and education policy, and economic policy...)

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What do youth who are homeless need? And how far am I willing to go to help?

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When you have that "aha" moment, there's no going back

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Decision-makers arent' acting as we'd like: Three reasons

Advocacy
10/23/17
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I have a dream... and an action plan

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The teachers will learn and the students will teach

Partnerships
10/23/17
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Taking a new approach - A MIHF board member's perspective

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Mid-Iowa Health Foundation announces new strategic initiative

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Report

The Economic Realities of Communities of Color in Iowa

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Report

Economic Burden of Health Inequities in the U.S.

View Economic Burden of Health Inequities in the U.S.
Report

2023 County Health Rankings National Findings Report

View 2023 County Health Rankings National Findings Report
Article

Graphic on Equality vs. Equity

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Article

Q&A: REED partners share the power in holding space for rest, healing, collective learning

View Q&A: REED partners share the power in holding space for rest, healing, collective learning
Report

2021 Community Health Needs Assessment

View 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment
White Paper

The Link Between Stillbirth & Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: Firsthand Accounts from American Women

View The Link Between Stillbirth & Maternal Mortality and Morbidity: Firsthand Accounts from American Women
Website

Communicating about Health Equity

View Communicating about Health Equity
White Paper

Strengths of Latinx Immigrants Despite Legal Violence

View Strengths of Latinx Immigrants Despite Legal Violence
Report

Surgeon General's Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health

View Surgeon General's Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health
Report

A Caring, Connected Community: How Greater Des Moines nonprofits met our needs during the pandemic

View A Caring, Connected Community: How Greater Des Moines nonprofits met our needs during the pandemic
Report

The Intersection of Racial Injustice and Youth Health in Central Iowa

View The Intersection of Racial Injustice and Youth Health in Central Iowa
Report

Champions for Change: A Collective Commitment to Children's Health

View Champions for Change: A Collective Commitment to Children's Health
Report

Why aren't kids a policy priority?

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Article

Study: Impact of neighborhood disadvantage on a child’s brain

View Study: Impact of neighborhood disadvantage on a child’s brain
Website

The United States Prosperity Index 2021

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Website

Make It Okay messaging in multiple languages

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Article

8 Ways People of Color are Tokenized in Nonprofits

View 8 Ways People of Color are Tokenized in Nonprofits
Article

Building a Trust-Based Philanthropy to Shift Power Back to Communities

View Building a Trust-Based Philanthropy to Shift Power Back to Communities
Guide

Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap

View Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap
Website

Frameworks Institute: Changing the conversation on social issues

View Frameworks Institute: Changing the conversation on social issues
Website

Framing best practices with Topos Partnership

View Framing best practices with Topos Partnership
Report

Systems Change & Deep Equity

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Website

Iowa Coalition for Collective Change

View Iowa Coalition for Collective Change
Website

Iowa Public Health Association

View Iowa Public Health Association
Report

Cultivating Change: How the HealthConnect Fellowship lifted a network of advocates to improve children's health in central Iowa

View Cultivating Change: How the HealthConnect Fellowship lifted a network of advocates to improve children's health in central Iowa
Report

Shifting the Lens: How The ACE Study sparked action to collectively improve our community's health

View Shifting the Lens: How The ACE Study sparked action to collectively improve our community's health
Website

National Academy of Medicine

View National Academy of Medicine
Website

Grant Makers in Health

View Grant Makers in Health
Guide

Results-Based Accountability Implementation Guide

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Website

Healthy People 2030

View Healthy People 2030
Website

ACEs Connection

View ACEs Connection
White Paper

Understanding the Upstream Social Determinants of Health

View Understanding the Upstream Social Determinants of Health
Report

Addressing Patients' Social Needs: An Emerging Business Case for Provider Investment

View Addressing Patients' Social Needs: An Emerging Business Case for Provider Investment
Report

Innovations in Health Equity and Health Philanthropy

View Innovations in Health Equity and Health Philanthropy
Website

Centers for Disease Control

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White Paper

Prenatal Strategies to Support Families

View Prenatal Strategies to Support Families
Report

United Way Community Impact Report

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Report

1st Five Healthy Mental Development Initiative 2020 Report

View 1st Five Healthy Mental Development Initiative 2020 Report
Report

2020 One Economy: The Blueprint for Action

View 2020 One Economy: The Blueprint for Action
Report

Human Trafficking Awareness for Youth

View Human Trafficking Awareness for Youth
Report

Mental and Sexual Health Education for Youth

View Mental and Sexual Health Education for Youth
Policy Brief

Strengthening Medicaid

View Strengthening Medicaid
Website

Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program

View Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program
Website

CAMHI4Kids Children's Mental Health System

View CAMHI4Kids Children's Mental Health System
Policy Brief

Transforming Iowa's Foster Care System to Support Kinship Caregiving

View Transforming Iowa's Foster Care System to Support Kinship Caregiving
Website

Community Catalyst System of Advocacy

View Community Catalyst System of Advocacy
Report

The Water of Systems Change

View The Water of Systems Change