The Long Beach health department announced this week that it has expanded its funding initiative to support public health services and resources citywide.

The health department’s newly expanded Health and Human Services Fund is a community-focused initiative that provides direct support to community members and local nonprofits. The expanded fund now includes a fundraising campaign and a new mini-grant program to further support public health services across Long Beach, according to a Tuesday, Dec. 23, press release.

The donation-based effort, officials said, will help people in Long Beach access essential resources, strengthen the public health workforce with professional development for health department staff, and offer grants to local nonprofits delivering health and human services.

“The strength of Long Beach has always come from its people, and the HHS Fund builds upon the strength by empowering collective action,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “These new initiatives will help expand the reach of our public health services and support community members in building a healthier, more resilient Long Beach.”

To raise awareness and encourage public support, the health department is also launching the “Together for a Healthier Long Beach” campaign this month.

The campaign highlights stories of people served by the health department and demonstrates how the supplemental support of the HHS Fund can continue to impact Long Beach communities. These stories will be shared on social media and the health department’s website, where new iterations of the campaign will be added in the future, according to a press release.

“The HHS Fund brings resources directly to people and programs with the greatest need,” Alison King, director of the health department, said in a statement. “Together, we’re building a healthier, more equitable city.”

The expansion of the fund initiative comes at a time when Long Beach’s health department has been facing financial challenges, including a lack of state and federal funds. Recently, for example, it was forced to cut some of its HIV and STI services after losing a significant amount of federal funding that paid for the programming for years. Another big challenge the health department has continued to face is a lack of structural funding for its many programs, according to city staff.

Despite facing these funding losses, as well as rising personnel and administrative costs, growing capital improvement and infrastructure needs, increasing technology expenses and stricter grant requirements, the city and health department staff continue working to identify strategies to address these ongoing challenges and mitigate service impacts.

The HHS Fund, managed by the Long Beach Community Foundation – a nonprofit public charity dedicated to initiating positive change in Long Beach – will accept tax-deductible donations to support three initiatives.

Those initiatives include:

Direct client support of up to $1,000 to help meet the urgent needs of community members, such as providing nutritious groceries, transportation vouchers for medical appointments and more.
Workforce enhancements of up to $1,000 to support health department staff with supplemental tools, materials and professional development. These requests are used only when other funding sources have been exhausted. This initiative helps staff respond to emerging program needs and strengthens their ability to serve the community.
Mini-grants of up to $5,000 for local nonprofit organizations to support staff wellness, professional development and capacity building.

These initiatives work together to provide responsive, people-centered support by helping remove barriers and equipping both the community and public health staff with resources they need, officials said.

To donate and learn more, visit longbeach.gov/HHSFund. Donations and community engagement will continue into 2026, according to the city.