How the Mat-Su Health Foundation met the moment, managed thoughtful and deliberate change, and fostered a culture of learning.
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The Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) — serving a vast, diverse, and quickly growing borough the size of West Virginia — has championed health equity in various iterations for the better part of seven decades. From funding critical behavioral health initiatives to supporting transportation improvements for aging adults, MSHF has helped foster healthier, more resilient communities. This success is grounded in the foundation’s commitment to listening to its residents, empowering local organizations, and building strong community partnerships.
With that length of service in the community, however, inefficiencies in their processes had slowly emerged over the years. Spurred by the twin inflection points of the COVID-19 pandemic and a national reckoning around racial justice that also hit close to home, the foundation decided that true health equity required more than immediacy—it demanded systemic change, both in its internal systems and its relationship with stakeholders.
Over the course of several years, MSHF underwent deliberate and thoughtful organizational change, marrying their technology and systems to principles of health equity. Along the way they empowered staff, reduced friction for grantees, and fostered a culture of continuous learning. The result: a foundation better equipped to support its community with purpose, accountability, and lasting impact.
