A new $1.1 million grant to Build Healthy Places Network (BHPN) will expand BHPN’s Community Innovations for Racial Equity (CIRE) initiative to tackle structural racism and health inequities in disinvested communities across the country.

The grant will enable BHPN, a national organization dedicated to fostering collaboration between health care, public health and community development, to launch a peer-learning cohort of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC)-led and allied community development corporations (CDCs) in small and mid-sized cities. This Learning Action Lab will co-develop tools and resources to support community power and racial healing, foster partnerships with mission-driven investors to channel capital towards community-led projects that promote health, economic opportunity and racial justice.

“This grant will allow us to scale the impact of our CIRE initiative,” said BHPN co-Executive Director Colleen Flynn. “With this funding, we will be able to support more BIPOC-led and allied CDCs in building community power, advocating for community-centered investments and improving health outcomes in the communities they serve.”

The Learning Action Labs will provide participants with training, technical assistance and networking opportunities to strengthen their capacity to engage with mission-driven investors and advocate for equitable community investment. BHPN will also work to influence mission-driven investors to direct capital and utilize their resources to BIPOC communities and support community-ownership models that help close the racial wealth gap. Through its national communications platform, BHPN will share lessons learned and best practices with the broader field of community investment.

As part of the CIRE launch, BHPN will form a 12-member advisory council of seasoned multisector leaders working to support health and racial equity. The advisory council will provide insights on potential CIRE partners and locations that would benefit from engagement with the CIRE initiative. With the advisory council’s input, BHPN will award five BIPOC-led and/or allied CDCs with grant funding when CIRE launches later this fall.

“We believe that the Community Innovations for Racial Equity initiative has the potential to transform how and where community investments are made, ensuring that they are directed towards the communities that are most impacted by structural racism and disinvestment,” said Kresge Senior Program Officer Jacquelynn Y. Orr.

With Kresge, CIRE is poised to make significant strides in advancing racial equity in community investments and creating healthier, more just communities for all.

For more information visit buildhealthyplaces.org.