The Important Role of Government in Comprehensive Community Initiatives: A Case Study Analysis of the Building Healthy Communities Initiative

Abstract

Comprehensive community initiatives (CCI) are multi-issue, large-scale, often philanthropic investments in disadvantaged communities to comprehensively address community problems. We studied two sites of The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities Initiative, Richmond and East Oakland, to examine CCI implementation. Prior research offers best practices focused on cultivating existing community organizational and organizing infrastructure. We find that CCI success also requires an enabling local government context. Where political will aligns with the initiative’s goals, CCIs should support work to inform and improve local public policy and systems. Inadequate government resources necessitate CCI investment, but government has an important role in CCI success.