The Piedmont Health Foundation was established in 1983 when a federally funded demonstration project Health Maintenance Organization, the Piedmont Health Care Corporation, was sold to a for-profit HMO. The proceeds from that sale, $2.7 million, were used to establish the Piedmont Health Care Foundation. The community Board of Directors of the foundation made the first grants in 1986. Since then, more than $4 million has been awarded to local nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving health in the community.
In 2011, upon the anniversary of 25 years of grantmaking, we recognized that our community’s greatest health challenges begin outside of the health care setting and that those challenges are often addressed with new ways of thinking and working – with human capital – rather than with financial. We changed our name to the Piedmont Health Foundation, and today we convene, catalyze and collaborate to make our community a place supportive of all residents’ health.
