Giving Compass' Take:

• The California Wellness Foundation is making $13 million in grants aimed at closing the gap in medical research focused on women and people of color. 

• How can other funders help to fill this gap? What are the long-term consequences of ignoring the medical needs of specific groups? 

• Find out how women in America relate to the healthcare system.

Research has now identified a significant healthcare gender gap, showing how much less we know about the health of women compared to men. Even more underfunded than women, however, are the specific health concerns of women of color. While Black and Latina women together represent less than a quarter of all U.S. women, they make up the large majority of those currently living with HIV.

To fight this disparity, the California Wellness Foundation (Cal Wellness) recently announced $13 million in new grantmaking specifically aimed at helping address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women of color, as well as the health needs of recently incarcerated women reentering society.

Millions of uninsured Californians obtained health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, but with the ACA under strain, those gains are being eroded. Moreover, social services and reproductive rights are also being undermined. “Communities of color are bearing the brunt of these attacks,” says Judy Belk, President and CEO of Cal Wellness. “But there is hope. Philanthropy can play a critical role in advancing wellness for all by fighting the injustices affecting the most vulnerable among us.”

Read the full article about addressing race and gender health gaps by Tim Lehnert at Philanthropy Women.