Fiscal Year 2021 Wrap-Up: Celebrating Nurses and Healing Communities

Saint Francis Foundation exists to make a deeper contribution to San Francisco’s health by improving access to world-class health care for all. Since the establishment of the Foundation in 1979, approximately 95.6% of all grants have been awarded to Saint Francis Memorial Hospital—totaling more than $110M. The remaining 4.4% or $4.5M has been awarded to community nonprofit organizations that support the Hospital’s patient population. Our long-time donor’s restricted gifts to the Foundation remain designated for the purpose intended by the donor and the viability of Saint Francis Memorial. Our commitment to our community health partners, including our beloved Saint Francis, remains unchanged. We are truly grateful to our supporters.

Earlier this summer, I published a blog post proposing that health care isn’t only happening within hospitals and traditional health care settings, and that care starts and ends inside communities. The consequences of the pandemic have only increased the demand for community healthcare services. In response to this challenge, last October the Foundation announced $1M in funding available to community partners providing services addressing mental health, behavioral health, and substance use among the Hospital’s patient population. To date, seven partner organizations have received grant awards. We look forward to continuing to support strong community partnerships over the course of this fiscal year.

While the COVID-19 pandemic commanded the spotlight during much of the year, the Gender Institute continued to provide world-class services to our transgender and gender non-binary communities. In June, the Hospital was the first to be internationally recognized as a Center of Excellence in Gender Confirmation Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC). We couldn’t be prouder of the Institute and its top-notch medical care providers, including Foundation board member, Heidi Wittenberg MD. Read a recent interview featuring Heidi and her work.

We are excited that our efforts to expand the Gender Institute will continue. In the upcoming fiscal year, we will support the growth of the Gender Institute with funds for the expansion of health navigation services in and out of the Hospital, invest in partnerships with community-based organizations like San Francisco Community Health Clinic, and play a role in the renovation plans for the physical space at Saint Francis Memorial.