Non-profit

Blue Shield of California Foundation

Website:

blueshieldcafoundation.org/%20

Location:

San Francisco, CA

President:

Debbie I. Chang

Type:

Left-of-center grantmaking foundation

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Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF) is a grantmaking foundation created by Blue Shield of California, an insurance company which was founded and operated as a nonprofit until California revoked its tax-exempt status in 2014. BSCF primarily focuses on domestic violence and public health, though it also supports organizations that promote liberal immigration policies. BSCF has given grants to a number of left-of-center and left-wing organizations, including other left-of-center grantmaking groups such as the Tides Center and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. 1

In December 2018, BSCF wrote an open letter condemning a proposed Trump administration Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule which sought to impose stricter standards on those receiving Medicare, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and other federal government-provided services in an effort to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining government benefits. 2

Public Health Grantmaking

Blue Shield of California Foundation makes grants directed toward domestic violence and public health initiatives organized by groups with broader left-of-center policy goals. For instance, from 2005 until 2008, BSCF gave almost $3.5 million to New America (then called the New America Foundation), a left-of-center think tank featuring members of the Obama administration.

Between 2005 and 2017, BSCF gave $23,117,310 to the Tides Center, a major left-of-center fiscal sponsorship organization. In 2015 and 2016, BSCF gave $300,000 to California Forward. The following year, BSCF gave $100,000 to New Venture Fund to combat domestic violence by advocating for strict gun control measures. In 2020, BSCF gave $150,000 to Changelab Solutions, a think tank which advocates for increased consumer regulations, and $200,000 to Bend the Arc, a left-of-center social justice organization. 1

Racial-Interest Policies

Blue Shield of California Foundation gave $100,000 to Chinese for Affirmative Action in 2021 to combat anti-Asian narratives during the COVID-19 pandemic. That same year, BSCF gave $300,000 to the left-of-center NDN Collective to help Native Americans financially recover from the impacts of the pandemic. In 2019, BSCF gave $1 million to Citizen Engagement Lab Education Fund to support artists “developing new narratives” to promote gender equality, racial equality, and pro-immigration ideology. 31

BSCF has donated to numerous left-of-center pro-immigration organizations to combat domestic violence and improve healthcare coverage in immigrant communities. In 2020, BSCF gave $1 million to the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) to advocate for a government-controlled universal family care plan. From 2013 through 2017, BSCF gave $710,000 to Mujeres Unidas y Activas, a Latino activism organization. In 2018, BSCF gave $50,000 to Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. In 2019, BSCF gave $250,000 to the California Immigrant Policy Center, and from 2013 to 2014, the group gave $200,000 to the National Immigrant Law Center. Both organizations have since joined Check the Sheriff, a coalition of left-wing groups aligned against Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s controversial policies on homelessness. 41

BSCF has donated to some left-wing organizations. In 2020, BSCF gave $150,000 to the Movement Strategy Center, a far-left organization which supports socialism, to build a “multisector, multiracial collaborative” that supports other nonprofits with “worker’s rights agenda[s].” 5 In 2013, BSCF gave $75,000 to the left-wing Women’s Foundation of California to train women to combat domestic violence. 1

BSCF has given grants to many Asian advocacy groups, including the Vietnamese Community of Orange County Inc., Asian Americans for Community Involvement of Santa Clara County Inc., the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and Asian Pacific Health Care Venture Inc.. BSCF has also given to many organization supporting Asian American women, including the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, the Asian Women’s Shelter, the South Asian Helpline and Referral Agency, Asian Health Services, the Asian Pacific Women’s Center. the Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence, and Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach. 1

Other Grantmaking

Blue Shield of California Foundation’s largest grant was $3 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) in 2021. The SVCF is a major donor-advised fund which gives primarily to left-of-center organizations and has drawn criticism for facilitating tax avoidance schemes. 61

Since 2005, BSCF has given 106 grants to Planned Parenthood groups throughout California. 1

BSCF also gives grants to local California governments for domestic violence prevention and public health initiatives. In 2021, BSCF gave $300,000 to the city and county of San Fransisco, and $300,000 to the county of Contra Costa. In 2017, BSCF gave $21,000 to El Dorado County, and in 2016, BSCF gave $149,000 to Los Angeles County. 1

References

  1. “Grantees.” Blue Shield of California. Accessed July 23, 2021. https://blueshieldcafoundation.org/grants/grantees.
  2. Long, Peter. “Proposed DHS Public Charge Rule.” Blue Shield of California Foundation. December 7, 2018. Accessed July 23, 2021. https://blueshieldcafoundation.org/blog/proposed-dhs-public-charge-rule?utm_source=marketing_cloud&utm_medium=marketing_cloud&utm_campaign=public_charge_rule.
  3. “Citizen Engagement Lab Education Fund.” Blue Shield of California. Accessed July 23, 2021. https://blueshieldcafoundation.org/grants/grantee/citizen-engagement-lab-education-fund.
  4. “About.” Check the Sheriff. Accessed July 21, 2021. https://www.checkthesheriff.com/about.
  5. “Movement Strategy Center.” Blue Shield of California Foundation. Accessed July 23, 2021. https://blueshieldcafoundation.org/grants/grantee/movement-strategy-center.
  6. “Silicon Valley Community Foundation.” Influence Watch. Accessed July 23, 2021. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/silicon-valley-community-foundation/.
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Blue Shield of California Foundation


San Francisco, CA