About Independence Blue Cross Foundation
The Independence Blue Cross Foundation concentrates its giving on improving health equity and community health in the Philadelphia region by funding large, institution-level efforts. Grants are directed to research and system-level solutions—supporting both an intermediary social impact fund and a major university to expand access to care and strengthen the health workforce. The foundation favors strategic investments that aim to generate measurable community health improvements rather than many small, grassroots awards.
Focus Areas
Health equity research and evaluationPhiladelphia community health and healthcare access initiativesHealth workforce development and trainingFunding intermediaries/impact funds that channel strategic health investments
Who They Fund
residents of West Philadelphia / neighborhood-based populationsschool-aged children and students (school-based mental health)nursing students and early-career nurses / prospective healthcare workforcelow-income and uninsured patients using free clinics and access-to-care programs
About Independence Blue Cross Foundation
A defining thread in Independence Blue Cross Foundation grantmaking is its repeated investment in West Philadelphia health access, including multiple restricted grants to Public Health Management Corporation and Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania for the West Philadelphia Initiative. That pattern sits alongside support for health equity research, maternal health, mental health, and health workforce development, showing a portfolio built around community health systems rather than small standalone awards. The foundation’s recent grants also show a strong institutional orientation. It backs universities, hospital foundations, community health organizations, and intermediaries that can move resources through regional health infrastructure. In 2025, it awarded $952,316 to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania for community health, healthcare access, and health workforce work, and $530,000 to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation for healthcare access. Earlier awards included $1,000,000 to Social Impact Fund for health equity research and $495,965 to Resources for Human Development Inc for maternal health. Across these grants, the foundation emphasizes measurable health access and equity work in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
What Independence Blue Cross Foundation Funds
Health equity appears both in research and in service delivery. The foundation gave $1,000,000 to Social Impact Fund for health equity research, then supported the University of Pennsylvania with $310,000 for its Institute for Health Equity. Community health and access to care are another clear line of giving. It awarded $500,000 to HealthShare Exchange of Southeastern Pennsylvania for community health and $340,000 to Delaware Valley Community Health Inc for healthcare access. Behavioral health and school-based mental health also show up in the portfolio. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation received $500,000 in 2024 and $250,000 in 2023 for an Access to Care - Mental Health Initiative - School, tying funding to school-linked care. Workforce development is a third pillar. Temple University received $392,000 for the Healthcare Scholars Program, and Drexel University later received $305,901 across community health, healthcare access, and health workforce work.
How Independence Blue Cross Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8.7M
Total Assets
$130.7M
Total Revenue
$4.5M
Total Expenses
$10.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $15K and $75K, with a median of $45K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$45K
75th Percentile
$75K
Geographic Reach
Local8 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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