Forty Years, One Thread Rooted in Love — what four decades of partnership taught the St. Joseph Fund. In 1986, the newly formed St. Joseph Health System Foundation made its first grant. It didn't go to a hospital or a clinic. It went to Mexico City, where an earthquake had leveled neighborhoods and where recovery
What Does Co-Designing Mean? Guest Post - Jason Lacsamana, Director, Programs and Partnerships In equity initiatives and strategies, we often talk about co-designing with partners. But what does co-designing mean? It isn’t about inviting community in after decisions are already made. Instead, it’s about engaging the community from the very beginning and letting their voices,
A Living Archive of Love: The Best of Our Blog From our founding in 1986, long before timelines and newsfeeds, people learned about the St. Joseph Fund (SJF) the old-fashioned way. Our work was shared by word of mouth in a slow, steady, and deeply rooted way. As the internet grew and the digital landscape
https://youtube.com/shorts/08zh3LnyF7w?si=wOT5tqSwr1KgT_XD Rooted in Gratitude Rooted in Love, we celebrate the achievements of our grantee partners and their impact on and for their communities. Standing before a wall of impact, we are reminded that our promise is real. Through our partners’ work, communities are becoming more whole, more healed, and more able to flourish,
Photo: Phil Sheard, WikiMedia Music, Loss, and Art That Inspires Us to Serve Guest Post - Jason Lacsamana, Director, Programs and Partnerships I was shocked when R&B genius D’Angelo died from pancreatic cancer last month. Musicians and their artistry have always been important to me. As a teenager, I played albums on repeat, leaning
My mom, siblings, and me What My Neighborhood Taught Me About Community Guest Post - Gabriela Robles, Chief Executive My neighborhood in El Monte, California, was a place full of laughter, music, and movement. Kids ran freely, families gathered regularly, everyone knew each other, and we all kept up with who had gone
Community Is Healing Guest Post - Jason Lacsamana, Director, Programs and Partnerships Community is healing. Healing is community. These words reflect a deeper truth I’ve seen and felt throughout my work in personal spaces, and across the partnerships that drive change. When I sit with this phrase, it reminds me that healing doesn’t happen in
Wisdom in Community – Our July Board Retreat Guest Post - Gabriela Robles, Chief Executive Last month, the St. Joseph Fund Board gathered in Missoula, Montana, for a three-day retreat that centered Wisdom in Community. We stepped away from our routines to connect deeply with one another, our mission, and especially with the communities we
Opportunities for Social Work to Strengthen Community Power In a moment when communities face complex, intersecting challenges, from systemic inequities to climate-related disasters, the call for more just and human-centered approaches to philanthropy has never been louder. At the St. Joseph Fund, we believe the way forward begins with relationships, trust, and a deep respect
Amy with a partner at the Healing Tides Initiative Retreat Practicing What We Preach: Funder Organizing and the Transformation of Power The St. Joseph Fund believes that building healthy, just, and vibrant communities means action above giving. Moreover, we know that to meet the needs of our communities today, we must transform the
