The Health Forward Foundation (also known as the Healthcare Foundation of Greater KC ¹) is a health care advocacy group that supports left-of-center health policy and increased voter turnout. The Foundation claims that certain health outcomes “are shaped by structural racism and other socioeconomic factors.” ²

The Foundation’s work is focused on Missouri localities including Kansas City and the counties of Cass, Lafayette, and Jackson. The Foundation also operates in Allen, Johnson, and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. ³

According to its 2023 tax return, the organization reported roughly three-fifths of its budget being spent on grants. ^{4 1}

Advocacy

The Health Forward Foundation has advocated in favor of left-of-center policies for reforming healthcare as well as increasing voter participation as a means of “redistributing and sharing power.” ^{5 6}

The Foundation has previously supported government programs based on the Rockefeller Foundation’s Food is Medicine (also known as “Food as Medicine”) diet-based initiative which claims that integrating its principles into the Medicaid program would save an estimated $13.6 billion annually. ^{7 8}

The Foundation has also supported “community-based health professionals” who would provide medical treatment at lower costs compared to standard health-care practitioners. ⁷

The Foundation supports government funding to expand internet access to rural areas. ⁷

Grantmaking

In October 2024, the Health Forward Foundation issued $300,000 worth of grants to 11 organizations to advocate increased voter participation in the state of Kansas before the 2024 November election. These included the ACLU Foundation of Kansas, Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation, El Centro, the Kansas Black Leadership Council, the League of Women Voters of Kansas, and the Voter Network Foundation. ⁹

Between 2019 and 2020, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Foundation issued $3.7 million in grants for local communities. ¹⁰   That same year, the foundation issued $750,000 in grants to local groups to support the 2020 Missouri Medicaid expansion bill, which successfully passed. ¹⁰

In June 2018, the Foundation awarded $3 million to 27 nonprofits to promote “equitable opportunities” in health. Recipient organizations included After the Harvest, the Heartland Conservation Alliance, and the Jewish Vocational Service. ¹¹

Leadership

Qiana Thomason is the president and CEO of the Health Forward Foundation, serving in the role since 2020. Previously, Thomason worked in several positions at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, including as vice president of community health. Prior to this, she worked at Swope Health Services, served as deputy director and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services liaison in the office of former U.S. Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO). As of April 2025, she is a board member of Grantmakers in Health, the National Association of State Health Policy, the National Rural Health Resource Center, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and William Jewell College. ^{12 13}

1. “Healthcare Foundation of Greater KC Form 990.” Health Forward Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/HFF-Public-Disclosure-990-2023.pdf.
2. “Equity and Inclusion Metrics.” Health Forward Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/about/equity-inclusion-metrics/.
3. “Frequently Asked Questions.” Health Forward Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/money/funding/faq/.
4. “Our Work.” Health Forward Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/our-work/.
5. “One on One with Swope Health.” Spotify. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/swopehealth/episodes/One-on-One-with-Qiana-Thomason-e1orese.
6. “Power.” Health Forward Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/our-work/power/.
7. Policy Briefs 2025.” Health Forward Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Policy-Agenda-One-Pager_111424.pdf.
8. “Food is Medicine.” The Rockefeller Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/initiatives/food-is-medicine/#:~:text=Food%20is%20Medicine%20programs%20provide,%2C%20diabetes%2C%20and%20cardiovascular%20disease.
9. “Health Forward gifts $300,000 to support Kansas voter engagement.” Health Forward Foundation. October 2024. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/news/health-forward-gifts-300000-to-support-kansas-voter-engagement/.
10. “Health Forward Foundation.” Grant Makers In Health. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.gih.org/grantmaker-focus/health-forward-foundation/.
11. “Health Forward awards $3 million in Healthy Communities Grants.” Health Forward Foundation. June 2018. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/news/health-forward-awards-3-million-in-healthy-communities-grants/
12. “Qiana Thomason.” Health Forward Foundation. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://healthforward.org/authors/qiana-thomason/.
13. “Qiana Thomason.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 13, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/qiana-thomason/