Big Cities Health Coalition

What Big Cities Health Coalition does

Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) is a nonprofit membership coalition founded in 2002 and headquartered in Takoma Park, Maryland, that convenes public health leaders from 36 of America's largest metropolitan health departments — collectively serving approximately 62 million people, or nearly 1 in 5 Americans. Its core function is peer exchange, joint federal advocacy, and resource sharing on shared urban public health priorities including public health infrastructure funding, opioid settlement fund deployment, gun violence prevention, and health equity narrative change. The coalition is governed by Executive Director Chrissie Juliano and operates without a parent organization, public listing, or disclosed subsidiaries.

BCHC does not sell a commercial product. It distributes a portfolio of resource platforms, research outputs, and policy frameworks through a basic WordPress-based website (bigcitieshealth.org): the Opioid Settlement Resource Compendium, Violence and Community Safety Resources for Narrative Change, Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) Stories, the 2023 Messaging Research, the "Cities: The Future of Health" Webinar Series, the Urban Health Agenda policy framework, and a City Data Platform. The technology stack consists of WordPress CMS, Google Analytics, Google Fonts, Google reCAPTCHA, Adobe Fonts, YouTube for webinar hosting, and Criteo for remarketing — no proprietary software platform or AI/ML components. Webinar recordings, an email newsletter, and social channels (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube) drive member and public engagement.

BCHC's revenue model is dual: membership contributions from 36 large-city health departments combined with federal and philanthropic grants. Primary funding flows through CDC cooperative agreements (NU38OT000305 and NU38PW000033), a CDC Foundation grant for messaging research, and a Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education grant (Fall 2023-2025). Strategic delivery is enabled by partnerships with Prevention Institute, ChangeLab Solutions, RTI International, Drexel University Urban Health Collaborative, the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI), and Hart Research. The organization does not disclose operating revenue, headcount, or financial statements.

Name

Big Cities Health Coalition

Legal name

Big Cities Health Coalition

Website

https://bigcitieshealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) is a nonprofit membership coalition convening public health leaders from 36 of America's largest metropolitan health departments, collectively serving approximately 62 million people, to share strategies and jointly advocate on urban public health policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Coalition Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

City/Municipal Public Health Departments (HLAJAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

State/Provincial/Regional Health Departments (HLAJAAAA)

Keywords

• Public health coalition
• Urban health policy
• Health equity advocacy
• Public health infrastructure
• Opioid settlement assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Takoma Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership dues / coalition contributions: BCHC operates as a membership organization for 36 large-city public health departments. Revenue is generated through membership contributions and dues from member health departments.
2. Federal grant funding (CDC): BCHC receives federal funding through CDC cooperative agreements (e.g., NU38OT000305, NU38PW000033) to lead public health projects including opioid settlement fund technical assistance and gun violence prevention. Funding supports capacity building and technical assistance to state and local governments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) is a nonprofit membership coalition that convenes leaders from 36 of America's largest metropolitan health departments to exchange strategies, jointly advocate for federal public health funding, and deliver resource platforms, technical assistance, and research on issues such as opioid settlement fund investment, gun violence prevention, health equity, and public health infrastructure. Its core deliverables include resource compendiums, webinar series, messaging research, policy frameworks, and a city data platform serving populations of approximately 62 million people.

Product overview

Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) is a membership organization serving as a forum for leaders of America's largest metropolitan health departments. Rather than offering a unified software product, BCHC provides a portfolio of resource platforms and research tools: the Opioid Settlement Resource Compendium offers guidance for managing opioid settlement funds; the Violence and Community Safety Resources provide narrative change tools; PHIG Stories showcases infrastructure grant investments; Messaging Research provides communication strategies; and the Cities: The Future of Health Webinar Series disseminates best practices. The Urban Health Agenda serves as the overarching policy framework, while the City Data Platform provides comparative health data across member jurisdictions. Together, these resources support public health officials in policy development, community health improvement, and health equity advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Opioid Settlement Resource Compendium

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40,000 COVID tests and 30,000+ vaccine doses distributed through SFDPH coalition supported by BCHC member efforts
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 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

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023CDC provides primary funding to BCHC through cooperative agreements (NU38OT000305, NU38PW000033) to support public health infrastructure projects including opioid settlement fund technical assistance and gun violence prevention. CDC's PHIG program provides unprecedented funding opportunity for local health departments, which BCHC advocates to protect.
• Prevention InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevention Institute co-leads multiple BCHC initiatives including opioid settlement fund technical assistance and gun violence prevention through a health equity lens. PI brings expertise in primary prevention, narrative change, and community-level strategies to BCHC's work.
• Drexel University Urban Health CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrexel's Urban Health Collaborative collaborated with BCHC on a salary study analyzing pay structures in 11 large urban health departments to understand workforce needs and challenges. The study informs improvements in pay, benefits, and competitive hiring practices.
• ChangeLab SolutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChangeLab Solutions is a partner in the CDC-funded opioid settlement project, providing legal and policy expertise on overdose prevention, harm reduction, and substance use policy implementation at the state and local level.
• RTI InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTI International's Transformative Research Unit for Equity (TRUE) provides landscape overviews, community metrics, and narrative change strategy plans for BCHC's public health approaches to community safety and gun violence prevention.
• SheRay's & Associates, LLCmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheRay's & Associates supports the opioid settlement fund project by providing expertise on centering and engaging people with lived and living experience in settlement fund planning and decision-making processes.
• Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHAVI collaborated with BCHC and Prevention Institute on gun violence prevention work funded by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education.
• Hart ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHart Research conducted focus groups, QualBoards, and an online survey of 1,006 policy influencers across 35 BCHC member jurisdictions to understand messaging strategies for public health communication.
• University of MemphismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Memphis partnered with Shelby County Health Department to support ongoing education of health department employees, enhancing public health staff capabilities and community trust. Funded through CDC PHIG.
• San Francisco community-based organizations (50+ CBOs)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFDPH, supported by BCHC through PHIG funding, united with over 50 community-based organizations alongside health care systems and academic partners to implement COVID-19 testing and vaccination campaigns reaching Black, Latinx, and marginalized communities. The coalition distributed 40,000+ tests and 30,000+ vaccine doses.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ChangeLab Solutions: National nonprofit providing legal and policy expertise on health, equity, and safety. Peer to BCHC because it is a named partner on the CDC-funded opioid settlement project, working with the same state/local audiences on settlement fund deployment.
• Prevention Institute: National nonprofit focused on primary prevention, health equity, and community safety. Peer to BCHC because it is a named core strategic partner co-leading BCHC's opioid settlement and gun violence prevention initiatives, with overlapping funder and advocacy networks.
• Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB): Accrediting body for governmental public health departments in the US. Peer to BCHC because it influences the same large-city and county health departments, sets standards for public health infrastructure, and engages with similar federal funding streams (PHIG) to drive capacity building.
• National League of Cities (NLC): Membership organization for US city leaders that addresses municipal policy including health, housing, and infrastructure. Peer to BCHC because it convenes the same urban constituencies, engages in federal advocacy, and is named as a BCHC distribution partner.
• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO): Membership organization representing state and territorial public health officials. Peer to BCHC because it convenes governmental public health leaders for advocacy, peer learning, and federal funding influence, with overlapping funder relationships (CDC) and policy agenda.
• National Association of Counties (NACo): Membership organization serving US county governments, including those operating health departments. Peer to BCHC because it convenes and advocates for local government on public health issues; county health departments like Maricopa and Pima County are mentioned as BCHC-affiliated recipients.
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO): National membership organization representing local health departments across the US. Direct peer to BCHC because both convene and advocate for governmental public health at the local level, though NACCHO's scope is broader (all local HDs, not just the largest cities).
• Trust for America's Health (THA): Nonprofit policy and advocacy organization focused on disease prevention and public health system strengthening. Peer to BCHC because it conducts research and advocates for federal public health funding (including PHIG), serving overlapping audiences of policymakers and practitioners.

Broad incumbents

• American Public Health Association (APHA): Larger, established membership association for public health professionals across all sectors. Peer to BCHC because both advocate for public health funding and produce research and policy resources, though APHA's scope spans the entire public health workforce rather than large-city governmental leaders.
• CDC Foundation: Independent nonprofit that mobilizes philanthropic and private-sector resources to support CDC's mission. Peer to BCHC because it is a major BCHC funder (CDC Foundation funded the 2023 messaging research) and operates in the same federal-adjacent public health funding ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BigCitiesHealth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bigcitieshealth
• Facebookfacebook.com/BigCitiesHealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/big-cities-health-coalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Big Cities Health Coalition