Health Forward Foundation

10/30/2026

Congratulations to El Centro Inc. on 50 Years of Building Inclusive, Powerful, and Healthy Communities.

This month, Health Forward Foundation was proud to celebrate El Centro’s 50th anniversary. For five decades, El Centro has been a trusted force for health equity and opportunity, advancing education, empowerment, and well-being in our Latina/o community and strengthening greater Kansas City along the way.

10/29/2026

Congratulations to Health Forward Foundation President and CEO Qiana Thomason on receiving the Lucile H. Bluford Special Achievement Award from the NAACP Kansas City, Missouri Branch.

Lucile H. Bluford was a Kansas City journalist and civil rights leader who spent her life championing justice and equity in our community. We’re proud to see Qiana’s leadership recognized with an award that echoes the work of Lucile H. Bluford, and are grateful to work alongside her every day.

10/28/2026

Healthy communities start with representation that understands our real needs. Missourians – from now until Election Day, vote NO on Prop A. Visit moballot.org to learn more about your ballot.

10/27/2026

Last month in Washington, DC, Health Forward Foundation hosted two sessions at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference, bringing together policymakers, foundation leaders, and community advocates for conversations on racial equity in investing and the link between civic power and health outcomes.

“From 0 to 70: A Blueprint for Racial Equity in Asset Management”
We shared how Health Forward grew our allocation to Black and Latino fund managers. The session opened with a fireside chat between our President and CEO, Qiana Thomason, and Representative Joyce Beatty (OH-03). Our Chief Investment Officer, Jim Casselberry, then joined Robbie Robinson, Michael Strautmanis, and Jasmine N. Richards, CFA for a discussion moderated by Carmen Ortiz-McGhee.

“The Prescription for Power: Protecting the Well-Being of Black Communities”
This conversation examined the connection between civic participation, electoral power, and health equity, and why threats to political power have tangible consequences for hospital access, mental health services, maternal care, economic opportunity, and the ability to live a healthy life. After a keynote speech from President and CEO Qiana Thomason, our Chief Policy and Impact Officer, McClain B. Macklin, moderated a discussion with Thomason, Dr. Jonathan M. Cox, Ph.D., Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, and Dr. Rich Besser.

Thank you to every speaker, moderator, and attendee who joined us and brought your expertise and honesty to these conversations.

10/26/2026

Health Forward associates gathered with fellow grantmakers at the Asset Funders Network conference in Philadelphia this month to share ideas, exchange strategies, and explore solutions to strengthen economic security.

Our Chief Policy and Impact Officer McClain B. Macklin moderated a panel, “From Cash to Health: How Wealth-Building Investments Shape Social Determinants,” which explored how asset-building interventions - from guaranteed income to baby bonds - can produce measurable improvements in the social factors that determine health.

We were proud to take part in this conversation with Sandra Martinez, VP of Strategy and Partnerships at Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.; Annie Harper, Assistant Professor at Yale University; and Jamilla Pinder, Director of Equity and Community Engagement at the Cone Health Foundation.

Our Place team also facilitated a table discussion on affordable housing and digital equity at the Health & Wealth Breakfast: Social Determinants of Wealth - A Cross-Geography Funder Dialogue. The breakfast brought together health-focused and health-adjacent funders to connect, collaborate, and identify opportunities for continued learning and knowledge sharing around wealth-building strategies that improve health outcomes.

Wealth-building is health-building. We look forward to carrying these ideas back to Kansas City and the communities we serve.

10/23/2026

Our longtime partner Emily Brown was recently featured in Forbes for her work building Attane Health into a food-is-medicine company with contracts inside large health plans. Attane merged with Sifter Solutions in May 2026, where Emily now serves as chief healthcare officer.

Health Forward invites policymakers and health care leaders to learn more about the impact programs like this can have on improving health outcomes, reducing health care costs, and advancing health equity.

Attane Health had contracts inside major health plans and sold anyway. Founder Emily Brown on billing codes, 18-month payer cycles and a $5.5 million cap table.

10/23/2026

Strong neighborhoods start with developers who have access to capital. Health Forward Foundation was proud to sponsor the 2026 Heartland Developer Summit, where real estate developers gain access to capital and the tools to revitalize communities.

Conversations like these advance the work of our Place purpose team to expand access to safe, healthy, and affordable homeownership.

A special thanks to the volunteers, speakers, and to LISC Greater Kansas City, Equitable Development Partners, , , , and for convening this important conversation.

10/21/2026

Jennifer Sykes, Director of Communications and Narrative Change at Health Forward Foundation, was proud to represent the Press Forward Kansas City chapter at the Press Forward Summit in San Antonio.

Kansas City was among the chapters sharing short, practical stories about fundraising approaches. It was a great opportunity to learn from colleagues across the network and share ideas that can help strengthen local news in our communities.

We were glad to share the conversation with Mary Jo Jean-Francois (Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, Press Forward Northeast Iowa); Cierra Brown Hinton (North Carolina Local News Lab Fund, Press Forward North Carolina and Charlotte); Jessica Hanzlicek-Treadwell (Wichita Foundation, Press Forward Wichita); and Lisa DeSisto (Press Forward Maine).

10/19/2026

At Next Narrative Summit, powered by , leaders explored how changing the way we see communities can change the way institutions operate.

Health Forward President and CEO Qiana Thomason and McClain B. Macklin Chief Policy and Impact Officer led a conversation, “Unshackled and Unrestricted,” that brought that question directly into philanthropy.

“Liberatory philanthropy… really speaks to our philanthropic practices,” said Thomason.

That word, practices, matters. Values don’t live only in mission statements. They show up in how organizations fund, invest, evaluate, share control, and demonstrate trust.

Health Forward Foundation shared some of the choices we’ve made to rethink those practices, from unrestricted funding to how our endowment is managed. Sometimes building what’s next means questioning rules we already have the power to change.

What institutional practice would you rethink if you started with the impact you want to create?