November is a time for giving thanks—and giving back to the community. At The Alliance for Health Equity, our motto is “Strengthening Communities,” and a large part of our mission is achieved through grantmaking. With the help of our generous donors and volunteers, trust-based philanthropy enables us to spread out into the local Coatesville community to promote greater equality and lasting change. Read on to learn more.
The Core Values of Trust-Based Philanthropy
Alliance Magazine, grantmakers and co-founders of the Trust-Based Philanthropy Project, notes that, “At its core, trust-based philanthropy works to build a more equitable nonprofit-funder ecosystem through a rigorous approach that values relationship-building and power-sharing over transaction and control. By giving nonprofits the ability to plan, grow, and innovate around emergent needs, it helps foster a healthier and more resilient social sector.”
In a recent article titled, “Building a Trust-Based Philanthropy to Shift Power Back to Communities,” Stanford Social Innovation Review adds that, to inform grantmaking strategies, foundations should be allocating funds directly to the local communities they serve. “Strategies to rebuild a stronger and more equitable society not only need to focus on including the voices from the community, but to do so in ways that truly shift agency, capital, and power.”
Trust-Based Philanthropy in Greater Coatesville
The Alliance for Health Equity focuses on improving the conditions under which people in underserved communities can be healthy and thrive, reflecting trust-based philanthropy approaches and investments in neighborhoods that have been left behind economically in the Greater Coatesville area. The integration of our impact areas allows The Alliance for Health Equity to put our community on the path of resiliency and transformation. This includes:
- Helping people live healthy and well through Integrative Services
- Creating healthy environments through the Greening Coatesville Initiative
- Leading positive change through the Coatesville Black Media Renaissance Project
Click here to view our impact areas and strategic plan.
Through initiatives like Community Voice, we are lifting the voices of local residents to help shape the systems, services and programs they need the most, and to facilitate community-driven solutions that addresses inequities caused by institutional and systemic racism and discriminatory practices.
Additionally, The Collaborative Innovation Fund directly supports grassroots community partnerships to create a healthy, inclusive, and resilient Coatesville while specifically addressing the long-term impacts of COVID-19, Hurricane Ida, and the closure of the Brandywine Hospital.
The Alliance for Health Equity pursues our mission through grantmaking and trust-based philanthropy, providing scholarships, building partnerships, and being catalytic to spark new initiatives where they are needed the most. We are thankful for the support of our donors and volunteers who make this goal possible.
The Alliance for Health Equity (formerly Brandywine Health Foundation) is a philanthropic organization striving to advance a more equitable, resilient and healthy community for all residents of the Greater Coatesville area. We pursue our mission by providing grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and students that address health and economic disparities and social justice. We also build partnership programs and give voice to those often left out of community solution building to improve the overall health of their communities. 100% of contributions go directly to those in need.