California Health Care Foundation

California Health Care Foundation

The California Health Care Foundation was established in 1996 as an independent nonprofit following the conversion of Blue Cross of California. Sandra R. Hernández serves as president and chief executive officer. The foundation focuses exclusively on California health care issues, with emphasis on populations covered by Medi-Cal. CHCF deploys capital across grants, program-related investments, and venture commitments. Asset classes include healthcare services, digital health platforms, and telehealth infrastructure. The Health Innovation Fund has taken limited partner positions in Abridge Inc., Omada Health, Mahmee, and Penguin AI. Geographic reach centers on California with additional exposure across the United States. Ticket sizes range from $50,000 to $3 million. The organization employs 50 professionals and maintains two California offices. It belongs to Grantmakers In Health and the Mission Investors Exchange. In June 2024 CHCF staff spoke at the Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference on health equity and Medicaid transformation. The foundation also sponsors the California Improvement Network, a learning collaborative for health systems. CHCF operates with a governance structure that separates grantmaking from investment decisions through dedicated advisors including Ambar Bhattacharyya and Martin Felsenthal. Its endowment supports both traditional grant programs and the innovation fund without external limited partners.