Trusted Messenger Grant Initiative | Cohort One

The Trusted Messenger Grant Initiative brought together various Community based Organizations in partnership with the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. The goal of this grant was to raise public awareness and community outreach services for community members experiencing the greatest health and social inequities.

From May 2023 to June 2024, The California State Alliance of YMCAs worked with fourteen YMCAs to provide communities with culturally relevant and in-language resources regarding the State’s priority campaigns, such as extreme heat, save our water, and COVID-19. 

Over the course of the grant, collectively, YMCAs positively impacted over 4 million people through various methods:

• Utilized materials in Armenian, English, Russian, and Spanish
• Distributed 53,790 flyers through events and tabling in YMCA lobbies
• Interacted with 82,267 individuals through community events
• Trained 3,222 individuals through meetings and workshops
• 2,835,058 reached through social media campaigns
• Sent email newsletters to 1,477,242 community members

By engaging with communities through tailored approaches, YMCAs created safe environments that encouraged open conversations around the State’s priority topics. The success of this project highlighted the deep trust each YMCA has within their local communities and underscored the strength of a unified voice in making a collective impact.

In reflecting on the success of the Trusted Messenger Grant Initiative, it is clear that the power of YMCAs lies in their ability to connect, engage, and uplift. The California State Alliance of YMCAs remains committed to leveraging this power to continue fostering a healthier, more informed, and resilient community for all. Through unwavering dedication and collaborative efforts, the vision of equitable health and social outcomes becomes an achievable reality.