Rooted in faith and active in hope, Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF) believes ALL Texans deserve to live a healthy life – especially those with the least resources and those who face the most obstacles to health. We’re dedicated to improving health, not just health care in Texas.
Health is much more than seeing a doctor. Access to affordable medical care is vitally important, but it’s only 20% of what contributes to a person’s overall health. The remaining 80% is determined by social and economic status, health behaviors, community safety, physical environment, and much more.
EHF has changed the conversation to reshape the debate around health care to focus on addressing the non-medical drivers of health: factors and conditions outside the health care system that significantly influence a person’s overall health and well-being.
For Texas to fully realize its great potential, all Texans must have the ability to thrive. From the beginning, EHF has had a long-term commitment to invest in and promote organizations, communities, and initiatives to accelerate a bold vision that all Texans have a just opportunity to live their healthiest lives.
By providing millions of dollars in grants, working with community partners and congregations, and providing important research, EHF supports solutions that address the underlying causes of poor health in Texas.
Where we started
What we’ve done
EHF’s strategic work has changed the conversation and the way we think about health in Texas:
- Government officials, state agencies, health insurance plans, health care providers, and community members recognize the importance of addressing non-medical drivers of health and are taking action to support non-medical, health-related needs.
- Community health clinics, health resource centers, and behavioral health providers have increased their services and their reach to low-income and underserved communities.
- Congregations and community collaboratives have increased ability to engage with other partners and those they want to serve to envision and create healthier communities and remove non-medical barriers to give more Texans a fair shot at achieving their best health.
- Clinics and community-based organizations have strengthened their capacity to provide skills to parents and caregivers to promote healthy early relationships and brain development during a child’s first three years.
Where we’re going
EHF has changed the conversation about health, and we’re continuing to work with partners to improve the programs, resources, and policies that influence the everyday factors that keep people healthy. Our goal is clear: to change systems and remove barriers by addressing the non-medical factors that shape health.
EHF’s Igniting Change is our finalized Strategic Framework for 2025 — 2030. It serves as a roadmap for how we will continue to support health, not just health care, across Texas. It includes three Action Areas that represent the systems we’re working to transform. EHF’s six Impact Drivers are the core ways we create change. Our three Priorities for Change are big health challenges where postive impact can ripple out across communities.
Combined, they all form a roadmap to change systems, remove barriers, and give every Texan a fair chance at good health.
We invite you to explore our Strategic Framework, read about all of our work, and then join EHF on this next chapter of our continuing journey. We know we cannot do this work alone—none of us can—but together we can be bold in Igniting Change that leads to individuals and families experiencing improved health in all Texas communities.
Mission
The mission of the Episcopal Health Foundation is to advance the Kingdom of God with specific focus on human health and well-being through grants, research, and initiatives in support of the work of the Diocese.
Vision
The Episcopal Health Foundation’s vision is a diocese in which the people, parishes, institutions and community are all connected in service of transformation to healthy communities for all.
Our Core Values
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Rigorous research is the foundation for actions and initiatives that have the potential to transform human lives and organizations.
The most effective use of financial resources is often discovered in ministries that go beyond the limits of individuals or individual congregations. Broadbased communities galvanized around responses to particular human needs have a powerful potential to effect real and lasting change.
The old adage is true: It is good to give a hungry person a fish; it is empowering to teach the same person to fish. Loving and compassionate people often need training to be effective change agents. Leadership development and training are central to empowerment.
Good stewardship requires careful oversight and development of the abundance that God provides.
All actions and decisions are open to the light of public scrutiny. Secrecy and confidentiality are not the same thing.
The results of decisions and actions of EHF are audited and measured against reasonable benchmarks.
Mistakes are made. When mistakes are treated with openness and honesty, lessons are learned Public accounting and reporting are made on a regular basis.
The best good is good that lasts by effecting transformational changes in root causes.
Compassion for the poor and powerless.