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Strategic Plan 2024-2030
Pathways to Health Equity
Addressing Needs Today and Building a Healthier Tomorrow
We are excited to introduce the new strategic plan for St. David’s Foundation. The path that led to this plan reflects the Foundation’s evolving understanding of health over three decades of work. Through this evolution, our view of health has broadened our focus on healthcare to the more expansive mission of advancing health equity. As we seek to create sustainable change, we acknowledge that systems and conditions either hold disparities in place or help to advance health equity.
Poverty, structural racism, and discrimination unfairly constrain the chances and choices of too many people to be healthy based on their ethnicity, race, age, ability, and geography. Since 1996, we have invested more than $900 million to improve health outcomes in Central Texas focusing largely on direct services to address the immediate needs of our community. Populations are growing and health outcomes for marginalized Central Texans continue to suffer because of inequitable conditions. These ongoing health disparities cannot be addressed by only filling the healthcare gaps.
Given our growth as a Foundation over nearly three decades, we are now able to support immediate health needs today as well as invest in improved health tomorrow for generations to come.
Strategic Vision and Direction
Vision for Central Texas: A vibrant and inclusive community in which every individual can flourish and reach their full potential.
Mission for the Foundation: To advance health equity in Central Texas through investment and action.
Core Values: Collaboration, Community, Compassion, Innovation, and Stewardship
Guiding Principles: Listen, learn, and evolve; Use an equity lens in our work; Embrace effective risk-taking; Make data-driven decisions aligned with evidence, strategy, and community voice; Measure outcomes and strive for high-impact work.
Strategy: We focus on removing barriers to better living today and changing systems and conditions to improve outcomes for a healthier community tomorrow.
Our journey has taught us that we can realize greater impact when our work is aligned and unified. Guided by a shared vision, the new Strategic Plan reflects a Foundation-wide strategy that will harness all Foundation resources – including our grantmaking, mobile dental program, scholarship program, learning and evaluation, and communications – as we work to advance health equity across Central Texas.
Our Goals for
Central Texas
Our goals were informed by discussions with staff, our Board, and the community; external research; and the findings of the most recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), through which we more deeply understand our region’s true health needs – particularly those faced by historically underserved community members.
We center our work on addressing individual and systemic barriers to health for individuals whose income falls below the minimum level necessary for survival for a household with an intentional focus on historically marginalized identity groups (e.g., Black, Hispanic, women, members of the LGBTQ community, refugees, and undocumented immigrants).
Goal 1
Increase access to quality care designed to advance health equity
Access to timely, responsive care remains out of reach for many Central Texans affecting their ability to address health concerns when they arise. Cost remains a main barrier to care along with lack of culturally competent quality care across the region. Nearly half of Texans report that it is somewhat or very difficult for them to afford health care (48%).
Objectives for Improved Community Health:
In partnership with community, we will work to determine our focus, role, and impact in
- Supporting access to primary, dental, perinatal, and behavioral health services while increasing and diversifying the healthcare workforce to meet the growing demand.
- Building the capacity of healthcare infrastructure (including clinics) to provide high quality and culturally responsive care.
- Leveraging evidence to expand the number of individuals covered by insurance, the medical and non-medical benefits covered by insurance, and the ability to access the benefits to which they are currently entitled.
Goal 2
Remove economic barriers to improve health outcomes
Today, roughly one-in-three of our Central Texas neighbors are not able to earn enough to meet their basic needs. Economic stability has an outsized impact on health and life expectancy. As our five-county region experiences rapid population growth, and the corresponding cost of living and housing rises, there is an increasing number of people who cannot make ends meet.
Objectives for Improved Community Health:
In partnership with community, we will work to determine our focus, role, and impact in
- Advancing safe, healthy, and affordable housing as a platform for health and stable income creation.
- Supporting collaborative, region-wide efforts to create pathways to employment opportunities in the healthcare sector that foster economic stability for those struggling to make ends meet.
- Supporting the navigation and coordination of services addressing the economic barriers to affect health and well-being.
Goal 3
Equip communities to achieve their health priorities
Current day inequities are rooted in a history of marginalization and perpetuate disparities in health outcomes. Addressing social and environmental conditions for generational change in our communities will require initiatives to equip and mobilize those closest to the problem.
Objectives for Improved Community Health:
In partnership with community, we will work to determine our focus, role, and impact in
- Building the capacity of organizations, including our own, and systems to engage community members in decision making and leadership to foster healthier communities.
- Investing in networks and social infrastructure in historically marginalized communities to foster health and wellness.
- Supporting community-directed giving through initiatives and institutions to advance health equity.
Goal 4
Establish organizational excellence to be more effective and realize greater impact throughout Central Texas
Intentionally harnesses the collective power of all Foundation resources that directly impact our community as we work cross-team, in alignment to advance healthy equity.
We also are eager to collaborate by partnering with nonprofits, peer funders, government agencies, elected officials, the public, and private sector so that, together, we can move the needle in health and wellness in a meaningful way.
Achieving the goals outlined in this plan will require a community-wide effort across systems and services for the benefit of future generations. We are committed to making data-driven decisions aligned with evidence and community voice. Join us in bringing this plan to life by sharing your dreams for what can be possible for Central Texans if our region takes a collaborative approach to advancing health equity.
Community Impact Teams
Guided by a shared vision, we will harness all Foundation resources as we work to advance health equity.
Grantmaking
Investing nearly $80M annually to support community health and wellbeing.
Scholarship Program
Easing the financial burden for students pursuing health studies and supporting student success.
Communications
Sharing what we are learning to create a community-wide understanding of health equity.
Mobile Dental Program
Providing highly accessible, evidence-based oral care for disadvantaged children in Central Texas.
Learning & Evaluation
Using data and research to bring diverse stakeholders into a shared conversation to realize deeper insights.
Looking Ahead
The Foundation will dedicate 2024 to developing the infrastructure to support this new plan and shape our focus, role, and impact for each goal. This effort will include continued community listening and opportunities to shape future funding and programmatic priorities.
As we focus more of our investments and action in communities with the greatest health needs in our geography, we will look for opportunities to expand our work across the five Central Texas counties we serve—Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson—and to utilize research and best practices, along with community input, to achieve the greatest impact. The year ahead will be dedicated to exploring new ways of working that are community-focused. We expect to release funding opportunities aligned with the new strategic plan in the second half of 2024 that are open to current and new grantees.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Share Your Vision
Achieving the goals outlined in this plan will require a community-wide effort across systems and services for the benefit of future generations. We are committed to making data-driven decisions aligned with evidence and community voice. Join us in bringing this plan to life by sharing your dreams for what can be possible for Central Texans if our region takes a collaborative approach to advancing health equity.
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