Health Equity Fund

To-date, the HEF has invested over $2.3 million in 20 organizations working to improve health and address root causes of health disparities in communities across Richmond. Additional investments are being made ongoing in community organizations and initiatives filling gaps to address health disparities.

Gaps in funding and resources too often create or exacerbate disparities in our health outcomes. The HEF seeks to fill these gaps for vital, innovative, evidence-based initiatives by investing in community-led programs, initiatives, and leaders to improve health and quality of life for Richmond residents experiencing deep health disparities and the longstanding impacts of racism. The HEF welcomes both solutions that provide direct programming to address immediate health outcomes and broader strategies that address the root causes of poor health in communities across Richmond. 

The HEF is not currently accepting applications. 

Individuals, organizations, or collaboratives that are interested in applying for an HEF investment, a new application round will open in the Spring of 2025.

The Richmond Health Equity Fund is managed by Richmond and Henrico Public Health Foundation. While RHPHF and Richmond and Henrico Health Districts serve all of Richmond and Henrico, the federal funding that makes the HEF possible has been allocated to the City of Richmond and cannot fund projects in Henrico at this time.

Funding Priorities

Consistent with the Mayor’s Equity Agenda, the HEF invests in new work — or supports expansions or enhancements to existing work — led by nonprofit and community organizations that directly addresses a range of health disparities, including:

  • Access to healthcare and health education
  • Food access and security
  • Maternal and child health
  • Mental and behavioral health
  • Substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery
  • Underlying health conditions
  • Other emergent health outcomes where Richmond’s populations have disparate burdens, as indicated by trends in data and community engagement processes

Community Advisory Committee

To prioritize where the HEF makes investments, a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) of Richmond residents informs and leads these decisions. CAC members have a combination of both lived and professional experience in the health disparities of focus for the HEF. 

The CAC has helped to shape the process, championing community-based nominations, as well as the selections for funding, weighing complex questions of how the HEF can best fill gaps to address community needs.

Current CAC Members:

  • Sara Cariano
  • Heather Dail
  • Rosalind Hall
  • Glynis Boyd Hughes
  • Zina Mason
  • Edward Richards
  • Kenya Wheeler
 
The HEF will be recruiting for additional CAC members from October 29 through November 26.
Health disparities in communities across Richmond are longstanding but many deepened during the pandemic. After establishing the HEF, the City of Richmond and RHPHF provided immediate funding to several projects that will have a direct, near-term impact on community health. Since then, our partnerships have grown to include 18 unique organizations.

Access to Healthcare & Health Education

Crossover Healthcare Ministry

Cultural and language supportive services to ensure access to testing and treatment and connections for broader follow up care.

Daily Planet Health Services

Personal follow up and support for unstably housed patients to ensure access to up to date vaccination and connections to primary care.

Health Brigade

Sustain and increase communicable screening for HCV, Syphilis, and/or TB.

Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center

Expanded hotline services for Spanish-speaking individuals.

Nationz Foundation

STI/STD testing, educational resource linkage, emergency support services referral, and harm reduction services offering.

Sacred Heart Center

Vaccine and other resource access and referral services for Spanish-speaking clients.

Food Access & Security

Richmond Food Justice Alliance

12-month urban agriculture and skill-building program for East End Richmond families.

Shalom Farms

Expansion of mobile market program.

The Happily Natural Day

Three-season youth farming program and online urban farm fellowship.

Waymakers Foundation

Culturally relevant emergency nutrition services.

Maternal & Child Health

Birth In Color

Access to community doulas for Richmond families and training and certification support for doulas.​

Healthy Hearts Plus II

Access to community doulas for Richmond families and training and certification support for doulas.​

St. Luke Legacy Center

Holistic, wraparound support for new and expecting parents with children ages 0-5.

Urban Baby Begginings

Access to community doulas for Richmond families and training and certification support for doulas.​ Also, maternal hub program providing an allotment of diapers to families in need.

Virginia Prison Birth Project

Doula services and perinatal programs that support justice-impacted birthing people in prison, jail, rehabilitation facilities and on probation in the community.

Mental & Behavioral Health

Daily Planet Health Services

Mental and behavioral health care support for those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Empowering You for Positive Change

Mental health skill building program for the uninsured

RBHA

Expanding community and individual mental health services in three RRHA community resource centers.

The Hive

Community based, healing-centered case management program for emerging adults touched by the criminal legal system.

Virginia Anti-Violence Project

Mental health and emergency services for LGBTQ+ survivors of violence

Substance Use Prevention, Treatment & Recovery

Gateway Community Health

Love Cathedral Education Academy (LCEA) curriculum implementation and recovery-centric services to assist those in treatment or in recovery for substance use disorder.

Help Me Help You Foundation

Case management and peer-led workshops for justice-involved individuals with a history of substance use.

OAR of Richmond

Transitional housing support and case management for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use.

Nolef Turns

Transitional housing support and case management for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use.

REAL LIFE

Transitional housing support and case management for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use.

WHO Counseling Services

Substance use disorder treatment program for residents returning from incarceration settings with a history of substance use

Underlying Health Conditions

Community 50/50

Expanding feeding program into comprehensive health fairs

Virginia Community Voice

Community-engaged design and planning for holistic healing space.

Questions? Connections? 

We add updates and information to this site to inform our communities and partners on the HEF’s activities. 

For additional information, contact the HEF Program Officer at shaleetta.drawbaugh@vdh.virginia.gov.