The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation has awarded more than $3.2M in grants to 27 nonprofit organizations in Minnesota. The Foundation board has also appointed Bukata Hayes, vice president of racial and health equity at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, as its board chair. Hayes has been a member of the Foundation board since 2015 and joined the Blue Cross enterprise in March of this year.
- Types pf Grants: Eighteen grants are part of the Healthy Connections program, which supports efforts to create and nurture more connected, resilient and inclusive communities where all people have the support and resources to reach their full health potential. The remaining nine grants are part of the Healthy Start program, focused on improving access to quality early childhood care and education throughout the state.
- Impact: “These grants are the latest example of supporting our grantees to improve community health across Minnesota while deepening our commitment to racial and health equity,” said Hayes. “Racial and health inequities are pervasive in our state and the community holds the solutions. We are proud to partner with these organizations – the majority of which are led by people who identify as Black, Indigenous and people of color – in addressing the root causes of these inequities head-on.”
- Way to mass improvement: “Our grantee partners are at the center of all we do, and together we are accountable to the communities we serve,” added Carolyn Link, president of the Foundation. “In partnership with these strong nonprofits and through the leadership of our board, we can improve the health of Minnesota communities.”
- New role: In this new role, Hayes will identify and coordinate the specific steps Blue Cross can take to ensure that a racial and health equity lens is applied to every aspect of its work and culture. He will serve as an advisor, bridge builder, strategic leader, and partner, supporting other leaders across the organization to identify and execute initiatives that can bring about greater inclusiveness, representation, and lasting and meaningful change.
- Leadership: Hayes has more than 20 years of experience organizing and facilitating systemic change within large and small systems such as non-profit, K-12, higher education, and rural communities. Before joining the Greater Mankato Diversity Council in 2006, he served as the coordinator of the Multi-Ethnic Center at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, the first-ever position of its kind at the college.