The Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund: Fighting COVID-19 and Addressing Structural Racism in the Bay Area
Proudly honoring the legacy of the late Bernard J. Tyson (1959-2019) — chairman and chief executive officer of Kaiser Permanente and long-standing member of the American Heart Association’s board of directors — more than $1.1 million is being invested in ten organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay and New York City areas.
Approximately 50 million people in the U.S. are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease because they lack necessities (PDF) — healthy food, clean air and drinking water, quality education, employment and housing. These factors can contribute to how long and how well you live. The Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund provides the means to support the Association’s efforts to build clinic-to-community bridges through high-impact partners and deeply rooted community institutions.
The goal of the Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund is to reduce the social and economic barriers to health equity by investing in local social entrepreneurs, small businesses and organizations within under-resourced communities to help scale sustainable solutions addressing documented social determinants of health – the environmental and social conditions people are born, grow, live, work and age which directly impact life expectancy.
Investees selected in San Francisco and Oakland address access to healthcare and COVID-19 testing, access to nutritious food and access to affordable housing.
Investees include:
Access to Healthcare and COVID-19 Testing
North East Medical Services
The NICOS Health Coalition
ConsejoSano
Nurse-led Community-based Public Healthcare Initiative
Access to Nutritious Food
Vouchers 4 Veggies
Mandela Partners (MP)
Access to Affordable Housing
Spanish Speaking Unity Council of Alameda County, Inc. (Unity Council)
Don't take it from us, watch this video to understand what the fund means to two of our investees.
"The Bernard J. Tyson Fun is more than just money, it's an opportunity for us to help lift up the community." - Norlissa Cooper, President, Nurse-led Community-based health initiative (Lambda Chi Chi) Fund InvesteeVisit our site to learn more or make an investment to the Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund.
