The Health Trust

What The Health Trust does

The Health Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation founded in 1996 and headquartered in San Jose, California, that advances health equity across Silicon Valley. Its core activity is grantmaking: the organization invests $2 million or more annually in nonprofit and public agencies serving residents of Santa Clara and Northern San Benito counties, with FY25 deployments totaling $3.65 million and FY26 Cycle 1 grants of $2.15 million. The foundation concentrates its funding in three focus areas — Food Equity (food access and nutrition), Chronic Disease (prevention, screening, and management), and Housing Equity (economic stability as a determinant of health) — and complements grantmaking with advocacy, policy work, and cross-sector coalition building. The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees, led by CEO Michele Lew with CFO Ira Holtzman, and operates with a staff of 101-250 employees. Its business model is philanthropic: revenue derives from charitable contributions, donor funds, and foundation grants, which are then redistributed as community grants rather than sold as products or services. Over 30 years of operation, The Health Trust has returned more than $200 million in community benefit through grantmaking and program services, and is increasingly investing in direct program delivery (e.g., the Gilroy Youth Impact Center), talent pipelines (e.g., the Summer Public Health Advocacy Fellowship), and grantee capacity building alongside its traditional re-granting function. The organization has no disclosed technology platform, proprietary software products, or AI/ML capabilities; its value creation is human-mediated through relationship-driven grantmaking, advocacy, and convening.

Name

The Health Trust

Legal name

The Health Trust

Website

https://healthtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Health Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation founded in 1996 that advances health equity in Silicon Valley by deploying $2M+ annually in grants to nonprofit and public agencies serving Santa Clara and Northern San Benito counties, focused on food access, chronic disease prevention, and housing stability.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Health Equity & Social Determinants Program Funding (HLAJALAK)

Keywords

• Health equity grantmaking
• Nonprofit community health
• Philanthropic foundation services
• Food access programs
• Chronic disease prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grantmaking: The Health Trust generates revenue through philanthropic donations, charitable contributions, and foundation grants. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID #94-6050231), the organization receives funding from donors and redistributes it through grant programs to nonprofit and public agencies serving the Silicon Valley community.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Health Trust is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation that advances health equity across Silicon Valley by deploying $2M+ annually in grantmaking to nonprofit and public agencies, conducting policy advocacy, and building cross-sector coalitions. The organization focuses on three areas: Food Equity, Chronic Disease prevention/management, and Housing Equity, serving residents of Santa Clara and Northern San Benito counties.

Product overview

The Health Trust is a nonprofit foundation focused on health equity in Silicon Valley, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products or technology platforms. The organization operates as a grantmaking foundation providing strategic funding ($2M+ annually), advocacy, and partnerships across three focus areas: Food Equity (strengthening food access and nutrition), Chronic Disease (prevention, screening, and management), and Housing Equity (economic stability to improve health outcomes). The organization has invested over $200M in community benefit through grantmaking and program services over its 30-year history.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Equity Grantmaking Program
• Policy Advocacy and Systems Change Program
• Food Equity Program
• Chronic Disease Prevention Program
• Housing Equity Program

Quantifiable outcome

• $2M+ invested annually in grants to benefit Santa Clara and Northern San Benito county residents
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Kaiser Permanente Community Health: Healthcare-system-affiliated philanthropy addressing community health, equity, and social determinants across Northern California. Comparable in addressing health equity and social determinants, but as part of a much larger integrated payer-provider.

Direct peers

• Blue Shield of California Foundation: Health philanthropy arm of a major California insurer funding domestic violence, health, and equity initiatives. Comparable as a California health-focused grantmaker with advocacy and systems-change orientation.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Major regional community foundation serving Silicon Valley with grantmaking and donor-advised funds. Most direct geographic peer, although it operates with a broader thematic mandate beyond health.
• California Health Care Foundation: Statewide health-focused philanthropy that funds systems change, access, and equity — a direct peer in mission even though it operates at California-wide scale rather than Silicon Valley.
• The California Wellness Foundation: California-based health equity grantmaker focused on underserved communities through advocacy and capacity building. Closely comparable in combining grantmaking with policy advocacy to advance health equity.

Emerging players

• Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health: Bay Area-based foundation raising funds and awarding grants for children's health. Comparable geographically and in health-philanthropy orientation, though narrower in population served.
• The SCAN Foundation: California-based foundation focused on aging, chronic care, and integrated care for older adults. Comparable as a health-focused funder, but narrower thematic focus on aging rather than broader social determinants.

Regional players

• Sierra Health Foundation: Regional health foundation based in Sacramento funding equity, access, and community health in Northern California. Comparable model of regional health grantmaking, but in a different geography than Silicon Valley.
• East Bay Community Foundation: Community foundation serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Comparable as a regional Bay Area grantmaker with health and equity programming, but operates in a different sub-region than The Health Trust.

Others

• Peninsula Open Space Trust: Bay Area regional nonprofit focused on open space preservation. Weak thematic overlap with The Health Trust; included only as an example of similarly sized, similarly tenured Silicon Valley nonprofit ecosystem participants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHealthTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-health-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/thehealthtrust
• Xx.com/HealthTrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Health Trust