California HealthCare Foundation

What California HealthCare Foundation does

California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy established in 1996 and headquartered in Oakland, California, with a secondary office in Sacramento dedicated to state policy engagement. The foundation's stated mission is to improve California's health care system so that all Californians — particularly those with low incomes, the uninsured, and communities facing the greatest barriers to care — receive the health care they need. Its work is concentrated on Medi-Cal modernization, health insurance coverage, health care affordability, behavioral health, the health workforce, homelessness, maternal health, primary care, older adults, and technology and innovation, with health equity as a cross-cutting lens.

CHCF does not develop or sell commercial technology products. Its portfolio is instead a set of publications, data products, professional networks, grant programs, and policy initiatives, including the California Health Care Almanac and county-level data dashboards, the California Improvement Network (CIN) managed with UCSF Healthforce Center, the CHCF Innovation Fund, the Health Care Leadership Program, the Health Equity Fellows program, the Pulse of Change: A Black Health Initiative, the Connected Care Accelerator (telehealth program for FQHCs), and the Future of Medi-Cal Commission. The foundation generates its operating and grantmaking capacity from an endowment whose investment returns fund all activities; all publications, data tools, and resources are provided free of charge, and the organization employs 51-100 staff led by President & CEO Sandra R. Hernández, MD.

Name

California HealthCare Foundation

Legal name

California HealthCare Foundation

Website

http://www.chcf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

California HealthCare Foundation is an independent nonprofit philanthropy, established in 1996 and based in Oakland, that funds research, grant programs, and policy initiatives to improve health care access and equity for low-income Californians, with a primary focus on Medi-Cal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Care Philanthropy and Policy Research

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Health and Welfare Funds (525120)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF), Chronic Disease & Health Promotion Program Funding (HLAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Health care philanthropy
• Health policy research
• Medi-Cal programs
• Health equity grants
• Nonprofit health foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: CHCF operates as an independent nonprofit philanthropy that funds projects aligned with its strategic goals to improve California's health care system. The foundation makes grants to researchers, community organizations, health care providers, and technology innovators working to improve care for low-income Californians. CHCF's revenue comes from its endowment, which is managed to generate investment returns used to fund operations and grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that makes strategic grants to health care organizations, researchers, and community groups, and publishes policy research, data resources, and convenes learning networks. Its core work targets improving California's health care system with a focus on low-income residents and Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The foundation funds grantees, publishes reports, almanacs, dashboards, and manages programs like the California Improvement Network, CHCF Innovation Fund, and Health Equity Fellows.

Product overview

California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy organization that works to improve California's health care system. Rather than offering a unified software product, CHCF provides a portfolio of publications, data resources, professional networks, grant programs, and initiatives. Key offerings include: the California Health Care Almanac (a data clearinghouse), the California Improvement Network (a learning community), the CHCF Innovation Fund (supporting health tech entrepreneurs), the Health Care Leadership Program (clinician fellowship), the Health Equity Fellows Program, the Future of Medi-Cal Commission, and the Pulse of Change Black Health Initiative. CHCF also publishes weekly newsletters and maintains a consumer resources portal. These programs and publications are designed to inform policy, advance health equity, and support California's health care system for low-income populations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• California Improvement Network (CIN): A learning and action community that advances equitable health care experiences and outcomes for Californians through cross-sector connections, spreading good ideas, and implementing improvements. Managed by Healthforce Center at UCSF.
• CHCF Innovation Fund
• CHCF Health Care Leadership Program
• Future of Medi-Cal Commission
• Pulse of Change: A Black Health Initiative

Products and services

• California Health Care Almanac An online clearinghouse for key data and analyses describing California's health care landscape, including regional and county-level data dashboards. Used by policymakers, researchers, providers, and advocates.
• California Improvement Network (CIN)
• CHCF Innovation Fund A fund that supports innovation in health technology, particularly focusing on underrepresented entrepreneurs and health equity solutions.
• CHCF Health Care Leadership Program A leadership program for clinician leaders working to strengthen California's health care safety net.
• Health Equity Fellows Program A program cultivating emerging leaders from Black, Indigenous, and communities of color to become catalysts for health equity in California.
• Connected Care Accelerator A program launched by CHCF to support telehealth implementation for low-income patients in California, evaluating telehealth usage data from Federally Qualified Health Centers.
• Future of Medi-Cal Commission A commission developing a 10-year roadmap for California's Medicaid program (Medi-Cal), receiving 132 submissions and awarding six grants of $50,000 each for winning concepts.
• Pulse of Change: A Black Health Initiative An initiative supporting eight organizations working to create a safer and stronger health system for Black Californians through culturally responsive care.
• CHCF Weekly Newsletter A weekly newsletter alongside monthly CalAIM Digest providing updates on CHCF publications and healthcare policy developments.
• Consumer Resources Portal A portal providing resources for consumers to navigate health insurance and find medical providers, linking to Covered California, Medi-Cal, and other healthcare services.
• California Latino Health Dashboard An interactive dashboard providing regional and county-level data on Latino/x health outcomes, access, and policy recommendations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 94% of California residents insured as of 2022 through CHCF-supported coverage expansions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Healthforce Center at UCSFcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHealthforce Center at UCSF manages the California Improvement Network (CIN), a CHCF-funded learning and action community that advances equitable health care experiences and outcomes for Californians. This partnership enables CHCF to extend its reach and facilitate quality improvement across the state's health care sector.
• RAND CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAND Corporation published research on telehealth usage at California FQHCs that evaluated CHCF's Connected Care Accelerator program. The research examined telehealth utilization data from September 2022 to August 2024, covering the period after the COVID-19 public health emergency ended.
• Duke-Margolis Institute for Health PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy researchers reviewed 26 recent California bills affecting AI in health care, in addition to relevant legislation from other states and the federal government. Their report 'Key Themes in California Health AI Policy' was commissioned by CHCF to inform the Sacramento Policy Briefing on Health AI.
• Elevation Health PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerElevation Health Partners led CIN webinars on advancing health equity and practical application of the CIN Racial Health Equity Toolkit, supporting health centers in embedding equity into quality improvement efforts.
• Future of Medi-Cal CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHCF launched the Future of Medi-Cal Commission and issued a 'Call for Bold Ideas' to develop a 10-year roadmap for California's Medicaid program. The commission received 132 submissions and awarded six grants of $50,000 each to develop winning concepts into full papers that will inform recommendations to California's next governor by January 2027.
• KFFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKFF conducted the 2025 California Health Benefits Survey fielded from January through July 2025 with responses from 464 employers, providing data on health coverage costs and trends in California that CHCF uses to inform its research and policy work.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The California Endowment: A major California-focused health philanthropy committed to expanding access to affordable, quality health care for underserved communities. Highly comparable to CHCF in mission, geography, and grantmaking model, though with a stronger advocacy orientation.
• KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation): Independent national health policy research and grantmaking organization that produces authoritative data, polling, and analysis. Directly comparable to CHCF in publishing policy research, and CHCF already partners with KFF on the California Health Benefits Survey.
• Blue Shield of California Foundation: California-focused health philanthropy funding domestic violence prevention, health care access, and community health solutions. Directly comparable to CHCF in California-only geographic focus and safety-net grantmaking priorities.

Regional players

• Sierra Health Foundation: California health philanthropy with strong presence in Northern California and the Central Valley, focused on health equity and community resilience. Comparable as a regional California health funder, though smaller in scale and program breadth than CHCF.
• California Community Foundation: A Los Angeles-based public charity serving Los Angeles County with grantmaking across health, education, and economic mobility. Comparable as a California-focused grantmaker, but with a much broader mission scope than CHCF's health-exclusive focus.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The largest US health-focused philanthropy, funding research and programs across health equity, systems, and policy nationally. Comparable in health-equity grantmaking and policy research orientation, but operates nationally with much larger endowment and broader scope.
• The Commonwealth Fund: National private foundation supporting independent health policy research and grants to improve health care practice and policy. Comparable to CHCF in producing authoritative health policy research and supporting Medicaid/equity reform, but with national rather than California focus.

Emerging players

• California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN): A California statewide health advocacy organization representing communities of color, often collaborating with CHCF on Medi-Cal equity work. Comparable as a California-focused health equity intermediary, though an advocacy organization rather than a grantmaking foundation.

Others

• Healthforce Center at UCSF: CHCF's implementation partner that manages the California Improvement Network. Adjacent rather than competing — a research and workforce policy center that operationalizes CHCF's network-based dissemination strategy.
• Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy: National health policy research institute that CHCF commissioned for the 'Key Themes in California Health AI Policy' report. Adjacent rather than competing — a research partner providing authoritative policy analysis CHCF uses to inform California policymakers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CHCFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/california-healthcare-foundation
• Xx.com/chcfnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/chcfnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments26 records

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Frequently asked questions about California HealthCare Foundation