Supported by a $1.7 million grant from The Kresge Foundation, the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) has launched an initiative exploring how new collaborations can drive large-scale improvements in the health of America’s communities. The “Healthy Outcomes” initiative prioritizes the needs and preparedness of organizations that serve low-income communities.

With health care reform’s focus on quality, cost and population health, large health care organizations, governments and other stakeholders are increasingly invested in demonstrating broad and measurable health improvements. Community-based providers of human services – such as housing, food security, transportation and other social determinants of health – can be key allies in these efforts.

“The growing shift from fee-for-service to outcomes-based payment models, accelerated by the Affordable Care Act, presents urgent and compelling opportunities for all stakeholders to re-orient together around building healthier communities,” said Antony Bugg-Levine, CEO of NFF. “Bridging the on-the-ground knowledge of community-based providers with the population expertise of health care organizations will be critical to realizing the promise of health care reform.”  

NFF will provide advice, financial support, tools, convenings, knowledge-sharing and other assistance to help human services providers understand and build the capabilities and capacity to work with health care organizations in new ways. This initiative builds on NFF’s decades of experience financing and advising community-based and other health and nonprofit organizations, to help drive the country’s broader shift toward an outcomes-oriented social sector.

“NFF’s leadership will assist human services organizations with proven track records in addressing the social determinants of health to become key partners for healthcare organizations,” said David Fukuzawa, managing director of The Kresge Foundation’s Health and Human Services programs. “Seamless coordination between human services and healthcare organizations could greatly increase both well-being and opportunity for people with low income.”  

In preparation for launching Healthy Outcomes, NFF and Kresge convened more than 60 health-sector leaders at the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in Atlanta in June, to discuss the opportunities and barriers to partnership in the age of value-based payments. The initiative will continue to draw upon these leaders’ expertise and experience.

A leading community development financial institution with over $250 million in assets under management, New York City-based NFF has provided $620 million in financing and access to additional capital in support of over $2.3 billion in projects for thousands of organizations nationwide.