Governance and Operations

At the heart of our work at the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a core belief in the dignity of all people. Our mission translates this core belief, which in our case flows from our commitment to Catholic values, but which is also affirmed by many outside this tradition, into specific actions. We exist to support and advance the health and well-being of precisely those New Yorkers whose dignity is at risk of being overlooked or denied and who too often encounter rejection or discrimination by people and systems. They are our focus, and it is a privilege to utilize the resources of this foundation in service to them.

When philanthropy isn’t open and ready to embrace emerging initiatives, it hampers the nonprofit world’s ability to offer the often life changing services they provide to their communities. As the Delta Dental Foundation developed and launched its first strategic plan this year, it was important to me that we prioritize relationships so that we could be receptive to what our nonprofit partners are going through. It’s OK to say ‘no’ to programs and initiatives that don’t support your organization’s goals, but you need to be flexible enough to pivot quickly as needs arise.

Food insecurity is a critical issue in the communities we serve. While we work at the most basic level to provide healthy foods to those in need and to ensure our local food pantries are stocked, we realize much more needs to be done to make a lasting impact. Through our partnerships with nonprofits and other health funders, we work in a more systemic way to improve access to nutritious foods for everyone, regardless of where they live or their socioeconomic status.

“At Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, we’re committed to improving lives beyond our hospital walls. We focus on all aspects of health—physical, mental, and economic. We know many families struggle with access to care, economic instability, and behavioral health issues, including disparities in maternal and infant health. By addressing these needs through our community partnerships, we aim to help families overcome barriers and achieve better health outcomes.”

“At IEHP Foundation, our work centers around health equity to ensure that our region becomes a beacon of Vibrant Health—meaning everyone has a fair chance to be as healthy as possible. We achieve Vibrant Health by addressing the social determinants of health—that 60 to 80percent of nonclinical factors that affect a person’s health. By working with our community partners to strengthen their organizational capacity and to help them identify those health equity issues they are addressing, we can ensure that more individuals in our region access the core needs such as humane housing, easily accessible nutritious food, quality health care, meaningful work, and education to live a healthy and joyful life.”