Sankofa: Reflecting on 2025 and looking forward in 2026

Having brought 2025 to a close and embracing this new year, my annual Sankofa reflection offers a meaningful moment to pause and look back with confidence — and look forward with determination. Previous readers will remember that in the Twi language of Ghana, “Sankofa” means to go back and get it and to take from the past what is good and bring it into the present to make progress in the future.

2025: A year of courage, care, and celebration

As the Kansas City region, and communities across the nation, faced intensifying efforts to erode the rights and resources that allow our communities to thrive, where philanthropic freedom was under scrutiny and nonprofit organizations were increasingly targeted for advancing equity and justice, Health Forward acted with a clear mandate and resolve:

• With care for our community and strategic intention, the board of directors and I increased our annual giving to 8% over the next three years, 2026-2028. In 2026, this amounts to an increase of $9 million to the community.
• Throughout the year, as the federal administration slashed critical services, we provided $3.5 million in unplanned crisis and emergency support for health, public health, housing, and food assistance across the region.
• Advocacy has always been the lifeblood of Health Forward Foundation. Despite the political and organizational risks amid the current climate, and with our board’s dedicated support, we took bold and decisive action to fund the campaign opposing the Congressional gerrymandering in Missouri with a $750,000 investment. This consequential investment supported the collection of over 305,000 signatures from empowered Missourians, which when certified by the Secretary of State will enable a citizen’s referendum and 2026 ballot initiative aimed to overturn the unfair maps that strip power from our communities.

On Dec. 9, more than 300,000 Missourians sent a clear message: we want a free, fair, and healthy democracy.

• We expanded social impact investments across urban and rural communities, including but not limited to a $5 million affordable housing investment in Kansas City, buttressing a regional pool of funds that will develop 24,000 market rate and affordable housing units; in rural Allen County, KS, we provided matching dollars to state funds, contributing to the creation of 48 affordable housing units.
• Understanding that rest and wellness are essential enablers in equity and social justice work, in partnership with other foundations we co-convened a three-day wellness retreat for nonprofit leaders who are on the front lines in supporting our communities. We also directly supported a cohort of nonprofit leaders of color with holistic coaches and wellness support. 
• In 2025, Health Forward marked an extraordinary milestone: 20 years of impact. Our anniversary theme, “20 Years of Stronger Tomorrows,” represented more than a milestone. It reaffirmed that real progress requires long-term partnership, courageous leadership, and consistent belief and investment in the people and organizations working to ensure every community can thrive. Thank you to all who celebrated with us throughout the year, those who attended our 20th anniversary event in December, and to all who have contributed to our impact across our 20-year journey.

These actions and investments are a small fraction of our work and progress last year. Stay tuned for a comprehensive review in our 2025 annual report.

Looking forward in 2026

Democracy is essential for healthy and vibrant communities  

Today, our communities’ power is at risk, and we need you to stand with us to protect it. A broad effort to undermine democracy in states across the country is affecting us here at home. Congressional electoral districts have been unfairly redrawn in Missouri in ways that distort representation and political influence in our communities of color and rural communities. Similar efforts were tried in Kansas.

Also in Missouri, legislators are trying to dismantle the initiative petition provision in our state Constitution. Through it, in prior years, we have enacted policies that yield healthy and economically stable Missourians — Medicaid expansion, minimum wage increase, and paid family leave.

It’s easy to feel powerless, as if these affronts are beyond our control and that insiders with money, power, and influence will be the ones who decide the rights and resources available to our communities. However, we know that this is simply not true. When people act, we create change.

Democracy, which is essential for healthy and vibrant communities, belongs to the people.

In 2026, a critical mid-term election year, we must be keen to understand where our elected officials stand on critical policies that shape a healthy and thriving region, for all. We must remain vigilant to protect free, fair, representative and accessible elections in Missouri and Kansas.

In Missouri, we must show up at the ballot box, in mass, later this year after the Secretary of State certifies the 305,000 signatures opposing the unfair redistricting and sets a ballot date. The people have already spoken, and we are confident that with your partnership, our communities’ power will prevail again.

Capturing the progress of our new permanent home at the Offices at Overlook, Health Forward’s President/CEO, Qiana Thomason, documents the steel and structure rising in Kansas City’s urban core.

Building our new home, and building a future we believe in

I am excited to share that construction of Health Forward’s permanent home at the Offices at Overlook in Kansas City’s urban core is nearing completion. Our new home is far more than a physical address. It is an investment in place, partnership, legacy for a community rich in cultural assets, and long-term stability for the east side of Kansas City, MO.

The Offices at Overlook will provide a welcoming, accessible space for community collaboration, convening, problem-solving and an exciting new space for other organizations to call home. It will allow us to host partners, elevate community voices, and deepen our commitment and proximity to the neighborhoods and leaders who are shaping a healthier, more equitable future. This space reflects a foundation rooted in community, built for connection, and committed to strengthening our region for generations to come.

In the year ahead, we will continue building coalitions across sectors, races, ethnicities, partisan lines, faith traditions, and neighborhoods — shaping the democratic processes and civic participation that form the cornerstone of community health. 

Our work will continue to focus on deepening partnerships and investments in affordable housing and home ownership, strengthening our health care workforce with underrepresented individuals in rural and urban communities, improving birth equity across our region, strengthening and connecting nonprofit leaders and their organizations, expanding access to the digital economy, and elevating fuller, more honest and inclusive narratives about what truly drives health equity.

Thank you for your partnership, courage, and your enduring dedication to building healthier, more equitable communities. May this new year offer refreshment and renewal, and may it bring new opportunities to deepen our resolve and impact together.

Here’s to a bright and prosperous 2026.