OUR APPROACH

The bi3 Fund is committed to supporting long-term change to improve the health of our community. bi3 applies systems change thinking and a racial and health equity lens in our grantmaking. We aim to be a trust-based partner, foster collaboration and share what we and our partners are learning. Recognizing that systems change cannot be achieved through programs alone, bi3 engages in policy advocacy as a pathway to create impact.

Systems Change

bi3 recognizes that no single organization (including our own) can create systems change. It takes multiple organizations of all types and sizes working together.

To that end, bi3 leverages FSG’s Six Conditions of Systems Change as a framework to help us understand the conditions impacting our focus areas and guide thinking around action opportunities. These conditions include: 

• Policies, rules and regulations (e.g. advocating to expand Medicaid coverage for health conditions or services) 

• Practices, procedures and activities (e.g. creating a new practice or approach to delivering mental health services) 

• Resource (money, knowledge, etc.) flows (e.g. launching a training program to increase community support for mental health)  

• Relationships and connections (e.g. bringing together new partners to collaborate on a health issue) 

• Power dynamics and decision-making power (e.g. supporting community leadership in designing approaches to improve health) 

• Mental models, beliefs and assumptions (e.g. conducting community listening sessions to address stigmatized health issues) 

bi3 seeks to build a portfolio of grants in each of our focus areas that addresses the Conditions of Systems Change. We aim to partner with nonprofits that are working on at least one of the conditions and are willing to engage as learning partners to improve the health of our community. 

In addition to grant funds, bi3 will leverage other catalytic tools to use our resources and capacities to contribute to systems change.