Green Tree Community Health Foundation Is Now Foundation for Health Equity™

(Philadelphia, PA) -- The Board of Trustees of the Green Tree Community Health Foundation today announced a new name -- Foundation for Health Equity (f4HE) -- as well as a new website (f4he.org), and strategic direction that renews the 16-year-old foundation’s commitment to the health and well-being of all people in Northwest Philadelphia.

“The average life expectancy of a neighbor in Germantown is 14 years shorter than a neighbor in Chestnut Hill. We do not accept this disparity,” said Al Thorell, Chair of the Foundation for Health Equity.  We have sharpened our strategy to address people’s pressing, daily health needs and influence the related social and structural systems that undermine the lives of too many in Northwest Philadelphia every day."

A Long-Standing Concern for Health

Established in 2005 from the proceeds of the sale of Chestnut Hill Hospital, Green Tree Community Health Foundation (originally Chestnut Hill Healthcare Foundation) has historically carried out charitable activities in the hospital’s primary service area, spanning Northwest Philadelphia and Eastern Montgomery County.

During the last 16 years, the Foundation has made over 450 grants totaling $8.4 million to a wide array of community organizations, touching the lives of nearly 500,000 community members. While it has funded a variety of health-related organizations since its inception, in recent years it has concentrated its grantmaking in three categories: hunger and food insecurity; services for children; and services for the elderly.

“Our grantmaking has always focused on those who have historically struggled against inequitable access to health and health care,” said Bethany Flood, Executive Director of the Foundation for Health Equity. “We look forward  to deepening this work with a broad range of community partners, who we will continue to rely on not only to deliver critically needed services but direct and guide our priorities.”

A New Strategic Direction

Noting changes in the community and the philanthropic landscape, the Foundation initiated a comprehensive strategic planning process in 2020. The effort was both accelerated and informed by the Covid-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on historically marginalized members of our community. With significant input from the people and organizations of Northwest Philadelphia, this process identified health equity as a primary concern for the foundation.

In response to the question—"How do we evolve to achieve greater health equity in a changing world?”—the new Foundation for Health Equity has articulated three, long-term strategies:

1. Focused Grantmaking: Maximizing the impact of its grantmaking by concentrating on those Northwest Philadelphia communities facing the greatest barriers to the best health possible. This includes neighborhoods in the 19144, 19138, 19128, 19150, 19119, and 19118 zip codes.
2. Intensive Community Engagement: Expanding its existing relationships and inviting leaders in its Northwest Philadelphia catchment area to help set the Foundation’s priorities and join in its leadership and governance.
3. Thoughtful Advocacy: Working with a range of community partners, adding our voice where appropriate, to support efforts to improve local, state, and national policies and programs that have a meaningful impact on the health of all people in Northwest Philadelphia.

A New Name, Logo, and Website

To bring its communications into alignment with its new strategic direction, the Foundation has adopted a new name, tagline, and visual identity:

f4HE 2021.jpg

The new name emphasizes the centrality of health equity to the Foundation’s grantmaking as well as its community engagement and advocacy work. The new tagline expresses the Foundation’s refined focus on Northwest Philadelphia. And the new logo captures the concept of equity in the progressively fuller bars of the ‘E’, describing a vision  of equal outcomes for all, but recognizing the uneven baselines that too many people in our community face with respect to achieving optimal health.

The Foundation has also reorganized and redesigned its website to improve its navigability and legibility for applicants, grantees, and other community stakeholders.  

“It is a new moment for us,” said Flood. “We are continuing our historical focus on health in Northwest Philadelphia, but shifting our approach in both subtle and significant ways to ensure that the full extent of our assets ensures everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Our new name and logo reflect that commitment.

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About Foundation for Health Equity™

Established in 2005 from the proceeds of the sale of Chestnut Hill Hospital, the Foundation for Health Equity (F4HE) believes everyone should have a just and fair opportunity to achieve optimal health no matter where we live, who we are, or how much we earn. We pursue this vision by funding local organizations, convening community stakeholders, and, where possible, advocating for city and other policies that improve the health of all people in Northwest Philadelphia. Since its inception, the Foundation has made over 450 grants totaling $8.4 million to a wide array of community organizations, touching the lives of more than 495,000 of our neighbors.