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Policy Grants (Giving Area)
policyadvocacyequity+2 more
Who can apply: Policy initiatives and advocacy organizations aligned with CARESTAR's mission and priorities.
About Carestar Foundation
Carestar Foundation appears to be a strategic, California-focused funder investing in systemic public health and public safety reform. Its sole recorded grant is a large, single investment to support a statewide campaign to transform first-response systems in California cities, indicating an interest in policy advocacy and crisis-response alternatives. The foundation favors catalytic, statewide initiatives rather than wide small-dollar giving.
Focus Areas
Transforming first-response systems in California citiesStatewide public health policy advocacy and campaignsCrisis response and behavioral-health alternatives to police interventionCatalytic funding for system-level reform in California
Who They Fund
EMS providers and first responders (including EMTs/paramedics)People experiencing behavioral health crises and non-violent emergenciesPeople at risk of opioid overdose / opioid-affected communitiesTribal communities and Tribal Community Health Representatives
About Carestar Foundation
Carestar Foundation’s recent grantmaking centers on reimagining how Californians reach help in crisis. Its largest recorded award in the data is a $750,000 grant to Public Health Advocates for “Seizing the Moment: A Statewide Campaign to Transform First Response in California Cities,” a signal that the foundation backs system-level change rather than scattered program support. That same pattern appears in its multi-year support for the South LA CPR Initiative at LundquistHarbor UCLA, which received $333,333 in both 2024 and 2025. The foundation also funds work that shifts emergency response toward behavioral-health and community-based alternatives. Public Health Institute received $420,000 for the CA Bridge EMS Buprenorphine Use Pilot Project, while City of Eureka and Sutter Coast Hospital each appear with crisis-response collaborative grants. Carestar Foundation’s portfolio includes tribal community health representatives, 911 awareness and equity, ambulance billing equity, and EMS curriculum work, pointing to a broad interest in how first-response systems are designed, financed, trained, and evaluated across California.
What Carestar Foundation Funds
Carestar Foundation’s subject matter is tightly tied to emergency and prehospital care reform. In behavioral-health response, it gave $420,000 to Public Health Institute for the CA Bridge EMS Buprenorphine Use Pilot Project, and later $280,000 for the same project title under California Bridge Program (Public Health Institute). It also supports crisis alternatives to policing and hospital-only response. City of Eureka received $200,000 for Crisis Alternative Response of Eureka, and Sutter Coast Hospital received $233,333 for the Community Crisis Response Collaborative (CCRC). Another visible strand is community-based and tribal health capacity. California Indian Museum & Cultural Center received $250,000 for Tribal Community Health Representatives and another $250,000 for Cultivating Climate Ready Tribal Community Health Representatives, while National Indian Justice Center received $250,000 for the same climate-ready tribal CHR work. The foundation also funded UCLA-related EMS behavioral crisis curriculum work at $158,333.
How Carestar Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster around a $75,000 median, with a lower quartile of $10,000 and an upper quartile of $150,000. The recent grant list shows repeated support to the same organizations and initiatives across multiple years, including Public Health Advocates, LundquistHarbor UCLA, California Bridge Program, Nuestra Comunidad, Sutter Coast Hospital, City of Eureka, and Loma Linda University. That pattern suggests ongoing, program-linked funding rather than one-time awards. Carestar Foundation is classified as a Regular Funder, and the active program descriptions indicate both unrestricted multi-year operating support and project/program grants. The funder also accepts unsolicited applications in several program areas, including general grantmaking, project grants, policy grants, collaboratives, workforce grants, and community paramedicine grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$2.5M
Total Assets
$61.2M
Total Revenue
$3.9M
Total Expenses
$4.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $150K, with a median of $75K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$75K
75th Percentile
$150K
Geographic Reach
Local4 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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