The Atrius Health Equity Foundation heard directly from community leaders that economic mobility, educational opportunity, and youth as a population of focus are important to close the life expectancy gap across neighborhoods in Eastern Massachusetts.

As a result of this community engagement and our belief that we must all come together to achieve health equity, we are honored to announce our largest investment to date: $23 million in total funding for our first cohort of the Youth as Health Care Change Agents grant program, a new effort to fund youth-led community health solutions in cities and neighborhoods across Eastern Massachusetts. Together, these awards cultivate a pathway of community-based organizations that are creating, launching, and sustaining innovative youth-driven efforts to meet community health needs and close life expectancy gaps.

With this investment, community-based organizations will provide youth with financial support, health education, and health career pathways to identify, develop, and implement solutions for their community’s health needs, now and in the future. Grantees are anchoring collaborative, community-based efforts to address pressing community health priorities, such as cardiometabolic disease or mental health and substance abuse.

In announcing these grants, we wish to honor the memory of Jack Connors, Jr., who served on the Founding Board of the Foundation. Jack insisted that the Foundation take big, bold steps to close the gap in life expectancy and was particularly dedicated to supporting youth to become the leaders of tomorrow.