Interprogram Grantee Gallery: March 2000

March 2000

Community Catalyst
Boston, MA

Community Health Assets Project

Across the country, an increasing number of nonprofit hospitals and health plans are converting from nonprofit to for-profit status. Legal requirements of the conversion require that the assets of the charitable entity being converted continue to be used for charitable purposes. New foundations—such as the California Wellness Foundation (with assets of more than 1 billion dollars) and many others—are often created to hold and dispense these assets. According to a report by Grantmakers in Health, Health Care Conversion Foundations: 1997 Status Report, "conversions also represent perhaps the largest redeployment of charitable assets in history as numerous foundations are created with the monetized assets resulting from conversions. These conversion foundations are endowed with charitable assets worth tens or hundreds of millions - sometimes even billions - of dollars."

The Community Health Assets Project (CHAP), a joint project of Community Catalyst and the West Coast Regional Office of Consumers Union, works nationally to preserve charitable assets at risk in the conversion of nonprofit health care organizations to for-profit status. This mission includes:

Fostering the values and practices of ongoing, strong community participation, especially by disenfranchised constituencies, in the formation of new conversion foundations.

Ensuring that community health needs are addressed, especially for vulnerable populations.

Expanding participation of philanthropic leaders and foundations in health care conversions and in shaping public policy related to conversion philanthropy.

Additionally, the project seeks not only to preserve community assets by forming foundations but also to ensure that these foundations are allowed to support both charity and advocacy work.

You should be aware that this phenomenon may be taking place in your community. For more information, please contact Deborah Cowan, Philanthropy Project Director at Community Catalyst: (617) 338-6035 or cowan@communitycat.org




	March 2000 Community Catalyst Boston, MA Community Health Assets Project Across the country, an increasing number of nonprofit hospitals and health plans are converting from nonprofit to for-profit status. Legal requirements of the conversion require that the assets of the charitable entity being converted continue to be used for charitable purposes. New foundations—such as the California Wellness Foundation (with assets of more than 1 billion dollars) and many others—are often created to hold and dispense these assets. According to a report by Grantmakers in Health, Health Care Conversion Foundations: 1997 Status Report, "conversions also represent perhaps the largest redeployment of charitable assets in history as numerous foundations are created with the monetized assets resulting from conversions. These conversion foundations are endowed with charitable assets worth tens or hundreds of millions - sometimes even billions - of dollars." The Community Health Assets Project (CHAP), a joint project of Community Catalyst and the West Coast Regional Office of Consumers Union, works nationally to preserve charitable assets at risk in the conversion of nonprofit health care organizations to for-profit status. This mission includes: Fostering the values and practices of ongoing, strong community participation, especially by disenfranchised constituencies, in the formation of new conversion foundations. Ensuring that community health needs are addressed, especially for vulnerable populations. Expanding participation of philanthropic leaders and foundations in health care conversions and in shaping public policy related to conversion philanthropy. Additionally, the project seeks not only to preserve community assets by forming foundations but also to ensure that these foundations are allowed to support both charity and advocacy work. You should be aware that this phenomenon may be taking place in your community. For more information, please contact Deborah Cowan, Philanthropy Project Director at Community Catalyst: (617) 338-6035 or cowan@communitycat.org						Back to Interprogram APRIL 2004 June 2003 October 2002 April 2002 October 2001 April 2001 October 2000 March 2000 June 1999 January 1999 July 1998 January 1998 October 1997