The Consumer Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit charitable organization that provides grants to local grassroots and community-based organizations in the metropolitan Washington DC area that focus on improving health and healthcare.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve the health status of Washington, DC-area communities -- particularly the most vulnerable members of these communities -- and to support the activities that enable people to be more actively involved in their own health.
Within our mission, our work centers on reducing the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities that exist in accessing health care and health outcomes.
Our Priorities
We focus on three priority areas to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities:
Consumer voice and advocacy
Equitable access to quality health care
Prevention and wellness
Within these priority areas, we emphasize two crosscutting themes:
Consumer education
Capacity building
Our Vision
We envision ourselves as a catalyst for social change, open to new ideas and willing to take risks to advance our work in the community.
Our Guiding Principles
We operate according to the following guiding principles:
Making a Difference - We will identify and broadly communicate strategic opportunities to make a difference in the health of the community we serve.
Supporting the Consumer - We will support consumers in their efforts to take control of their own health and participate in all levels of health care decisions. To achieve this, we will integrate consumer voices, interests, and needs into our work.
Valuing Diversity - Our practices will respond to and reflect the rich diversity of the individuals and communities we serve.
Serving as a Community Health Resource - We will serve as an active and visible community health resource within the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Building the Capacity of Others - We will help build the capacity of individuals and their institutions to fulfill their vision and goals, and will do so in a manner based on mutual respect and openness.
Making Valuable Connections - We will develop, support, and participate in partnerships with those who share our values, mission, and vision. Such alliances will enable us to attract the support, expertise, and resources of others in the public and private sectors, including funding organizations and the public health community.
Growing Our Assets Wisely - We will thoroughly scrutinize our investment and spending policies and practices to assure the continued growth and viability of our endowment in order to maintain a strong, reliable, and effective giving program.
Within our mission, our work centers on reducing the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health disparities that exist in accessing health care and health outcomes.
We will support consumers in their efforts to take control of their own health and participate in all levels of health care decisions. To achieve this, we will integrate consumer voices, interests, and needs into our work.
