In 2008, The Community Clinics Initiative (CCI) launched their Networking for Community Health (NCH) grantmaking program. The program was designed to support California community clinics in strengthening their working relationships with both traditional and non-traditional partners. Over the past three years, CCI has supported clinics’ projects that work on a wide variety of issues, including improving access to nutritious food, engaging youth and coordinating health services, among others.

This report examines the ways in which the NCH program has enhanced the capacity of clinics and their partners to improve community health. It describes the conceptual framework of the NCH program, presents evaluation findings to date and offers practical suggestions for other funders and communities interested in pursuing a similar approach to improve community health.