The California Human Right Organization is dedicated to advancing meaningful, measurable improvements in the way the health care delivery system provides care to the people of California and the world at large, particularly those with low incomes and those whose needs are not well served by the status quo. We work to ensure that people have access to the right they need, when they need it. 

 At the California Human Right Organization, we know that human right and health care is a basic necessity. We work hard to improve California’s health care system, so it works for all Californians and everyone who is associated with our organization worldwide.

We are especially focused on strengthening Medi-Cal — the cornerstone of California’s safety net. We are also committed to finding better ways to meet the health care needs of the millions of people who remain uninsured in our state.

We organize our work around three main goals:

Improving Access to Coverage and Care

We advance statewide policies and practices that ensure all low-income Californians can get the care they need when they need it. We support efforts to expand access to affordable coverage and to strengthen the Medi-Cal program. We are also helping to foster delivery system transformation and workforce solutions that increase the capacity of safety-net organizations to provide timely, high-quality, and patient-centered care.

Promoting High-Value Care

We improve the health of low-income Californians by reducing their chances of receiving unwanted, ineffective, and unnecessary care. We focus on issues based on their broad population impact or high cost to the system as a whole. Currently, we are working to improve quality and cost in the following areas: care for people with complex needs, including mental illness and substance use disorder; maternity care; and care for people with serious illness or at the end of life.

Laying the Foundation

We invest in people, knowledge, and networks that help to make meaningful change possible in California’s health care system.

• Market Analysis and Insight: We provide research and analysis so decisionmakers have a market-wide view of California’s complex health care ecosystem.
• High-Quality Health Journalism: We support health journalism so that Californians have access to timely, relevant information about the most pressing health care issues.
• Building Leadership: We help to develop the leadership and skills of California’s health care professionals, state policy partners, and safety-net organizations to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
• Bridging the Innovation Gap: We support information, networks, and communications platforms that enable safety-net organizations and entrepreneurs to work together to improve the delivery system.

Fast Facts About CHRO

Purpose: Nonprofit independent philanthropy
Focus: Grantmaking to improve California’human right and health care system
Founded: 1996
Employees: ~50
Offices: Oakland and Sacramento
Assets: $769 million (12/31/2019)
Grants awarded: $27 million (fiscal year ended 12/31/2019)