Centene Foundation

What Centene Foundation does

The Centene Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation, a publicly traded managed care company (NYSE: CNC) headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 2004, the Foundation distributes charitable grants to nonprofit organizations addressing social drivers of health—healthcare access, food insecurity, housing stability, education, and disaster relief—across 29 states and the District of Columbia. In 2025, the Foundation invested $34.9 million across 209 nonprofit organizations, with grant sizes ranging from $10,000 to over $2 million and distribution skewed toward healthcare ($15.9M) and social services ($14.3M), with education ($3.9M) and disaster relief ($0.8M) as secondary categories.

The Foundation operates a grant-based philanthropy model rather than a technology or services business. It deploys capital through strategic partnerships with regional health plan subsidiaries of Centene—including Home State Health (Missouri), Health Net (California), Delaware First Health, Carolina Complete Health, Meridian Health Plan (Illinois and Michigan), and WellCare of Kentucky—enabling community-specific program execution and last-mile delivery in the same geographies where Centene's Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Ambetter Marketplace plans operate. Core products and underlying technology therefore reside at the parent level (Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace plans; LTSS, Foster Care, Start Smart for Your Baby, METS behavioral health coordination) rather than at the Foundation itself.

The Foundation completed its initial 2022-2025 three-year giving strategy and is transitioning into a successor phase emphasizing knowledge-sharing networks among nonprofit partners. Notable multi-year commitments include a $1.8 million, 2026-2029 grant to Visión y Compromiso for the MOVES mobile health program in Los Angeles County and a $10 million co-investment with Health Net in the Community Care Campus Long Beach expansion. Multi-million-dollar commitments to McCormack Baron Salazar (North Carolina mixed-income housing), Safer Foundation (Chicago affordable housing), Jordan Valley Community Health Center (Foster Care Center of Excellence in Missouri), and OSF Healthcare (mobile pregnancy van across 12 Illinois counties) illustrate the Foundation's positioning at the intersection of Centene's Medicaid footprint and place-based social determinants of health investment.

Name

Centene Foundation

Legal name

Centene Corporation

Website

https://centene.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Centene Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation, distributing grants to nonprofit organizations addressing social drivers of health—including healthcare access, housing, food insecurity, and education—across 29 states and the District of Columbia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Healthcare philanthropy
• Community health grants
• Social determinants programs
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Health equity funding

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Philanthropy: The Centene Foundation operates as the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation, distributing charitable funds to nonprofit organizations addressing community health, education, social services, and disaster relief. The Foundation deploys grants ranging from $10,000 to over $2 million to support healthcare initiatives, social determinants of health, and community development programs across 29 states.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Centene Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation, distributing charitable grants to nonprofit organizations that address community health, education, social services, and disaster relief across 29 states and the District of Columbia. In 2025, the Foundation invested $34.9 million across 209 nonprofit organizations, with grant amounts ranging from $10,000 to over $2 million. The Foundation's three-year giving strategy pairs financial support with strategic guidance from Centene's subject matter expertise to address social drivers of health including healthcare access, food insecurity, housing stability, and workforce development.

Product overview

Centene Corporation operates as a healthcare managed care organization offering a platform of government-sponsored healthcare products. The core offerings include Medicaid health plans across 30 states serving 12.4 million members, Medicare Advantage plans under the Wellcare brand, and Health Insurance Marketplace plans under the Ambetter Health brand. Supplementary modules include Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) for individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions, specialized Foster Care Services managing care for nearly 250,000 foster care children, the Start Smart for Your Baby maternity program supporting over 330,000 births annually, and the METS behavioral healthcare coordination program. The Centene Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm, providing grants and community investment to complement the healthcare delivery mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Health Net: California-focused Medicaid managed care organization
• WellCare
• Ambetter Health
• Meridian Health Plan
• Start Smart for Your Baby
• MHS Health Wisconsin
• Foster Care Center of Excellence

Products and services

• Centene Foundation Grants Philanthropic arm of Centene Corporation distributing charitable grants ranging from $10,000 to over $2 million to nonprofit organizations addressing community health, education, social services, and disaster relief. The Foundation invested $34.9 million across 209 nonprofit organizations in 29 states and the District of Columbia in 2025, with funding directed to maternal and child health, integrated health and housing solutions, and disaster relief programs.
• Missouri Grant Program State-specific grant program administered through Home State Health, distributing $750,000 across 20 grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to Missouri nonprofit organizations addressing social drivers of health. Grants are organized across five tiers based on program scope and organizational capacity.
• Delaware Community Health Grant Program Three-year, $500,000 grant program co-administered with Delaware First Health to fund Delaware community-based organizations addressing housing insecurity and transportation barriers, promoting health equity among high-need populations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached more than 10,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries and community members through MOVES program mobile health services in Los Angeles County
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Visión y CompromisomajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Three-year initiative (2026-2029) deploying MOVES (Mobile Outreach for Vulnerable and Engaged Support) mobile health units across Los Angeles County. The $1.8 million grant from Centene Foundation and Health Net supports promotora-led health services including screenings, chronic disease education, specialty referrals, and social support. Expected to reach over 10,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
• Health NetmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026$10 million investment in Community Care Campus Long Beach expansion with $5 million from Centene Foundation for facility modernization and $5 million from Health Net for tenant improvements and CalAIM-aligned care programs. The integrated care campus serves individuals experiencing homelessness with medical care, recuperative services, and coordinated support.
• Three Steps HomecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2026$225,000 grant to launch St. Louis' first dedicated short-term residential post-acute medical recuperative care program for individuals experiencing homelessness. Located at Peter & Paul Community Campus, the program provides onsite clinical care, behavioral health referrals, recovery plans, and support services including meals, clothing, and housing assistance.
• McCormack Baron SalazarmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2026$2 million investment supporting Phase 2 and 3 of the Northeast Winston-Salem Choice Neighborhood Initiative to rebuild 244 aging housing units into mixed-income housing. Partnership established in 2024 to address social drivers of health for North Carolina communities, connecting residents to healthcare, workforce development, and family services.
• Mountain Comprehensive Health CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026$550,000 investment for WellCare Food is Medicine Program in Eastern Kentucky providing medically tailored meals, recipes, and educational materials to Medicaid enrollees with diabetes in rural communities for up to three years.
• Sandy Hook PromisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Centene Foundation sponsors No One Eats Alone Day program organized by Sandy Hook Promise, targeting students in grades 5-8 across multiple states to reduce social isolation. Programs engaged 151 schools in Kentucky (64,000 students) and 20 schools in Texas.
• Safer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026$2.2 million grant from Meridian Health Plan of Illinois and Centene Foundation for purchase and renovation of 23-unit affordable housing building in Chicago's South Austin neighborhood. Some units designated for justice-involved individuals and Colbert & Williams program graduates.
• OSF HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 December 2025$1.5 million funding from Meridian and Centene Foundation to deploy mobile pregnancy and postpartum care van serving maternity deserts across 12 Illinois counties through OSF OnCall digital health division.
• Delaware First HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025$500,000 grant program supporting Delaware community-based organizations addressing housing insecurity and transportation barriers. The three-year initiative aims to improve health outcomes by funding organizations serving high-need communities and promoting health equity.
• Jordan Valley Community Health CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Home State Health launched first Foster Care Center of Excellence in Springfield, Missouri in partnership with Jordan Valley Community Health Center. The FCCoE provides trauma-informed, comprehensive care for children in foster care, serving as a one-stop shop for behavioral, physical, vision, and dental services with dedicated community health workers.
• North Carolina Clinician and Physician Retention and Well-being (NCCPRW) ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025$1.3 million grant from Centene Foundation and Carolina Complete Health to fund mental health program for healthcare workers in North Carolina. Initiative aims to improve mental health support and address burnout among healthcare providers across the state.
• Food Bank Council of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 July 2025$1 million grant from Meridian Health Plan of Michigan and Centene Foundation to improve food access and health outcomes in rural southwest Michigan. Funding supports food pantry upgrades, food as medicine initiatives, and fresh food pharmacy program at health center.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Blue Shield of California Foundation: Independent Blue Shield-affiliated foundation with broader scope (health, domestic violence, social justice). Comparable grantmaking in social drivers of health with deeper independent endowment.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Largest U.S. health-focused philanthropy. Comparable focus on health equity and social drivers of health, though operating at vastly greater scale and with independent endowment.

Direct peers

• Humana Foundation: Corporate foundation of Humana, a major Medicare Advantage and managed care insurer. Highly comparable mission around health equity, food insecurity, and senior-focused community health.
• Anthem Foundation (Elevance Health): Corporate foundation of Elevance Health (formerly Anthem), one of the largest U.S. managed care insurers. Closely comparable structure, scale, and focus on health equity and social drivers of health.
• Kaiser Permanente Community Health: Kaiser Permanente's community health grantmaking arm, comparable in scale and focus on housing, food insecurity, and equity within Medicaid and underserved populations.
• Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation: Corporate foundation of Molina Healthcare, a Medicaid-focused MCO. Closest pure Medicaid-MCO peer to Centene Foundation in mission and beneficiary population.
• CVS Health Foundation: Corporate foundation of CVS Health, providing grants in health equity, behavioral health, and workforce. Comparable as an integrated payer-provider-pharmacy corporate foundation.
• UnitedHealth Foundation: Corporate philanthropic arm of UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. health insurer. Comparable as a healthcare-payer-affiliated foundation funding social drivers of health, workforce, and equity programs at scale.

Emerging players

• The Kresge Foundation: Major independent foundation with a dedicated Health Program investing in housing-health, place-based community development, and equity — directly comparable to Centene Foundation's integrated health/housing thesis.

Regional players

• California Endowment: Large California-focused health foundation backing community health, equity, and Medi-Cal-adjacent populations — directly comparable to Centene Foundation's California/Health Net footprint and CalAIM-aligned investments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Centene
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenteneCorporation

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments23 records

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Frequently asked questions about Centene Foundation