Foundation supporters and Hospital staff came together to honor the 2026 Equity & Innovation Award grantees: RISE (Rehabilitative In-room Support and Engagement) and Closing the Gap.

Thanks to a multi-year partnership with BMO, each grantee was awarded a $100,000 capacity-building grant, allowing for critical investment in new initiatives that will have a widespread impact on patient care at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

The Equity & Innovation grants have a rich history of advancing public health for our city. With over 550 grants and $14 million awarded since 2004, this partnership between the Foundation and ZSFG has created a pipeline of innovation at our city’s only public hospital. The projects and stories shared at this year’s ceremony underscore our commitment to creating lasting change for San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities.

This special occasion allowed us to celebrate the incredible achievements of more than two decades of grantmaking and reinforced our shared commitment to advancing equity and innovation at ZSFG.

The first program to receive funding was RISE: Rehabilitative In-room Support and Engagement. RISE will train nursing assistants as Restorative Coaches. These coaches will help patients recover from serious brain injuries and return to their communities sooner. RISE also builds career pathways for frontline workers from San Francisco’s communities of color.

Second to receive funding was Closing the Gap. This initiative aims to reduce readmissions for Family Health Center patients admitted to the Family Medicine Inpatient Service. It focuses on disparities facing Black/African American patients and patients with substance use disorders, and make sure patients leave the hospital with what they need to stay well at home.