Health Equity

Our Funding Focus

Public health and health care

Health equity exists when every child and family can achieve optimal health, nurtured by community contexts and appropriate, culturally relevant supports. The COVID-19 era illustrated what many in the field have long known: structures and systems of oppression – especially racism – are at the root of health inequities.

Although the public health emergency officially ended in early 2023, COVID and its aftermath continue to impact communities. The public health system received unprecedented funding, yet the sector continues to grapple with its future. Public health suffers from an inequitable flow of resources into communities, a lack of coordination with other sectors and communities and extreme vulnerability to political whims.

Our health equity work focuses on:

• Protecting and promoting access to health care coverage for children and families.
• Building capacity in the public health system to advance health equity.
• Supporting policies that promote a racially equitable health system, including the social determinants of health.

Early Care and Education

Our Funding Focus

All kids deserve caring, high-quality and culturally relevant early learning opportunities. However, significant challenges and barriers in education systems disproportionately affect children of color, children from low-income families and English learners.

This is why our funding focuses on advancing equity in systems of care and learning for all children from birth to age 8 through approaches focused on:

• Improving the quality, equity and accessibility of child care and education systems.
• Achieving adequate and equitably allocated public funding for early childhood education and child care systems.
• Supporting structures for workforce and professional development that strengthen the pipeline and quality of early childhood teachers and workers, especially educators and leaders of color, and improve the quality of early care jobs.
• Engaging in policy advocacy and family and community engagement to support innovations and improvements to early care systems that are responsive to communities’ needs.

We Invest in Our People

We Support Employees’ Professional Growth.

• Every staff person sets annual goals for performance and learning in alignment with organizational priorities.
• Educational reimbursement is available for work-related certifications and degrees.
• Coaching and peer mentorship happen throughout a normal workday, through cross-disciplinary teamwork and biweekly one-on-ones with leaders.
  

We Encourage Employees’ Engagement With Their Communities.

• Employees who perform at least 25 hours of volunteer service can request a donation to their favorite charitable organization through our Dollars for Doers program.
• We encourage volunteerism through our employee wellness program.
• Staff can also apply matching gifts to their favorite eligible causes.

Staff Testimonials

“WKKF truly values its people with opportunities like the 90% tuition reimbursement program and supporting my talent development profile goals. I am thankful for the support I’ve received to enhance my skills as a leader, partner and community advocate.”

Alana White,

Program Officer for Battle Creek, WKKF staff member since April 2013

We Adapt Continuously

We Adapt Continuously

At WKKF, we listen to understand our employees and improve their experiences. Staff provide input through a variety of feedback channels, including daily team meanings, biweekly check-ins with leaders, project retrospectives, monthly snapshot surveys and a biennial Staff Perception Survey conducted independently.  

Staff Testimonials

“I appreciate the efforts WKKF takes to build new skills for the employees, most recently supporting us to build foresight capacity, skills and processes that position WKKF as a leading future-ready philanthropic organization. These future thinking skills allowed us to adapt to the changing needs of the workforce as well as identify the programmatic strategies that would be needed to support the long-term needs of the children, families and communities we serve.”

Diane Smith,

Director of Culture & Experience, WKKF staff member since May 1994

We Value Different Perspectives

Our Diversity Powers Our Innovation

We affirm one another’s humanity. We respect, leverage and celebrate the diverse
perspectives of people.

Staff Testimonials

“For me it boils down to valuing the inherent and intrinsic value of every human being. Inviting people to show up in their true authentic self, bringing their lived experiences, knowledge, skills, capabilities and that which gives them meaning and purpose to achieve a common goal.”

Paul Martinez, Chief Leadership and Human Capital Strategist,

WKKF staff member since June 2019

We Commit to Racial Equity

Transformation Starts Within

WKKF staff have opportunities to:

• Develop self-awareness around issues of race, racism and bias.
• Engage in racial healing experiences.
• Learn from experts in the field.
• Participate in cultural affinity groups and other learning groups.
• Use a racial equity lens to create grantmaking strategies and make operational
  decisions.
• Influence equity practices in many sectors, from philanthropy to nonprofits, health care,
  education, food systems and more.

Workforce Composition

Staff Testimonials

“Racial equity is not a passive effort at the Kellogg Foundation. We strive to embed it in everything we do. It stems from a deep commitment to fundamentally change the belief systems and structural barriers created by a false hierarchy of human value. It’s the main reason I joined the foundation.”

Ska-xjeing-ga / Vicky Stott,

Senior Program Officer, WKKF family member since November 2016

I am grateful to work for and collaborate with an organization that aligns its actions with its principles. As a co-leader of the Black Affinity group, Mizizi, I have the privilege of sharing my personal philanthropic journey. Engaging with WKKF communities where we live and work, I contribute my cultural insights while also learning from and embracing others.”

Michelle Coleman,

Senior Executive Assistant to the president & CEO, WKKF family member since November 2009

United States

Transforming Systems, Advancing Change

We work with partners and grantees across the country to spur transformational change so all children can thrive. Our impact reaches all 50 states and is guided by the leadership of families and communities who know best what their children need.

Our country’s increasing racial and ethnic diversity is our greatest asset for actualizing a future where every child thrives. Yet the current landscape is one of immense challenges. Deeply ingrained inequities in policies, practices, resources, power dynamics, beliefs and narratives form the basis for many of our most intractable problems. These underlying inequities result in poor outcomes for communities, families and children.

Our grantee partners throughout the U.S. are tackling persistent gaps in access to:

• Quality health care.
• Educational opportunities.
• Employment.
• Good food.

Each of these serve as evidence that systemic barriers hinder children from achieving their fullest potential. In short, systems hold barriers in place. Our work aims to disrupt them.

We’re taking on bold, innovative solutions to shift narratives, strengthen strategic partnerships and build power within communities. Our work cuts across the political aisle, philanthropic siloes, diverse sectors and issue areas. Together with our partners and grantees, we’re advancing results-driven changes that make systems work for every child.

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