In Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Oakland, The Rockefeller Foundation’s $20M Equity-First Vaccination Initiative (EVI), supported over 100 community-based organizations working to increase vaccine confidence and uptake in communities of color.
A new report from the RAND Corporation, commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation, finds that community-driven efforts that build capacity among trusted community leaders have been critical to vaccinating hard-to-reach and hard-to-convince Americans. One year into the Covid-19 vaccination roll out, the United States has struggled to reach the most socially vulnerable communities with Black, brown, indigenous, and immigrant communities less likely to get a vaccine, but more likely to get seriously ill and die of Covid-19. Strategies outlined in the report serve as models to remove inequities in the nationwide strategy and accelerate vaccination efforts.
It is a very multi-tiered approach. Houston In Action very firmly believes in meeting orgs where they are & having orgs assist in any way that they are capable of.
StaffHouston In ActionIt’s really important to create a coalition of varied & unexpected partners, the opportunity to hear from your provider, the church you go to, or where you may volunteer—that multi-pronged approach is incredibly helpful.
StaffBaltimore CBOWe’ve been in the community for so long & the staff is actually from the community, they represent the community that we serve.
StaffNewark CBOThe organizations leading this work are tiny, & yet their grasp of the issues, their understanding of how to do it, & their recognition of what they can do as players in this space is a huge success.
StaffChicago CBOIt’s about getting timely information out to the community from a trusted person or entity in a way that is relevant & that helps demystify some of what can be really confusing.
StaffRoots Community Health Center
Collectively, these organizations have achieved:
- 1,200
vaccine-related events held
- > 42,000
instances of assistance to get people vaccinated (e.g., transportation, registration) provided
- ~2million
contacts made through online and offline communication campaigns
- ~16,000
doses of Covid-19 vaccines delivered
The CBOs identified the most effective ways for philanthropic funders and policymakers, both nationally and locally, to advance equity by developing strategies to ensure,
- Delivery of accurate, timely, understandable information about where, when, and how to get vaccinated;
- Access to vaccine sites which are often located in inconvenient places, open at inconvenient times, and unaccommodating of those with mobility limitations;
- Trust in institutions administering vaccinations;
- Internet connection and the technological literacy needed to access vaccinations; and
- Access to funds for transportation to and from vaccination sites, and to cover missed work hours.
As the nation heads into a fourth wave & a battle with a more contagious variant, the hard job of building vaccine access & confidence is left to underfunded community organizations across the nation.
Otis RolleySenior Vice President, U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative, The Rockefeller FoundationThis report shares what actually works in getting people vaccinated investing in community-based organizations who know their communities & can address their needs better than anybody else.
Otis RolleySenior Vice President of the U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation
- Report
Early Insights from the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative
In Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Newark, and Oakland, The Rockefeller Foundation’s $20M Equity-First Vaccination Initiative (EVI), supported over 100 community-based organizations working to increase vaccine confidence and uptake in communities of color. A new report from the RAND Corporation, commissioned by The Rockefeller Foundation, finds that community-driven efforts that build capacity among trusted community leaders have […]Download PDF