Building a regional health equity movement: the grantmaking model of a local health department.

The Boston Public Health Commission's Center for Health Equity and Social Justice provides grant funding, training, and technical assistance to 15 organizations and coalitions across New England to develop, implement, and evaluate community-based policy and systems change strategies that address social determinants of health and reduce racial and ethnic health inequities. This article describes Boston Public Health Commission's health equity framework, theory of change regarding the elimination of racial and ethnic health inequities, and current grantmaking model. To conclude, the authors evaluate the grant model and offer lessons learned from providing multiyear regional grants to promote health equity.