Grassroots Health
College athletes coaching students to a healthier future
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
School-based and Community-based Adolescent Health Education
We partner with middle schools to provide free and innovative sports-based health education programs, and we partner with local organizations and government health departments to provide health education and health screenings at community events.
Our innovative model uses non-traditional health educators (NCAA student-athlete role models) to build trusting relationships where youth are able to learn the basics and openly discuss sensitive issues related to their health.
Leadership Development and Social Engagement of College Athletes
Each year we recruit and train NCAA varsity athletes to become volunteer health educators. After undergoing a 4-day training in curriculum delivery, health literacy, cultural competency, and classroom management, our volunteers facilitate our health education programs during middle school P.E. classes.
In addition to mobilizing athletes to become youth development workers and health educators, we support their overall personal and professional development through a series of workshops and a pathway to growth within our organization and/or in the public sector.
Curriculum Development, Evaluation, and Knowledge Sharing
We believe that evaluating the impact of our work should not be an afterthought or a simple administrative task. Research and evaluation are core to our organizational culture. We collect real-time data on the outputs and outcomes of our athlete trainings and our school and community-based health education programs, and we are constantly analyzing data to see what we’ve done really well and where we can improve. We also partner with external groups to conduct independent evaluations of our work. As we aspire to scale up our programs, we also think it is critical that we share both our successes and our failures. For this reason, we constantly look for opportunities to speak at conferences, share our white papers, and learn from what others are doing in the public health and youth development sectors.
Where we work
Awards
Named one of the best non-profits in DC 2018
Catalogue for Philanthropy
Honored Commitment to Action 2011
Clinton Global Initiative University
Staying Alive Award 2009
MTV Staying Alive Foundation
Winner, Health Competition 2018
Many Hands Giving Circle
Charity Beneficiary 2018
Hexagon DC
Back Your Block Award 2009
Nike
Community Impact Award 2021
Nike
National Youth Sports Strategy Champion 2021
Health.Gov
David Bradt Nonprofit Leadership Award 2020
Greater Washington Community Foundation
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students completing Grassroots Health's programs.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Related Program
School-based and Community-based Adolescent Health Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2017, we reduced the number of schools we work with in order to deepen our impact on each student. We added new curricular components , and we now reach students for a longer period of time.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planHow we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Grassroots Health
Board of directorsas of 06/07/2023
Christine Campbell
Deidra Suber
Tyler Spencer
Grassroots Health
Richard Livingstone
DC Mayor's Office of Community Relations and Services
Christine Campbell
CMConsulting
Deidra Suber
Walmart Connect
Craig Lejeune
Acuity International
Nick Turk
AboveBoard
Charlie Klippel
Retired
William Wen
Family First
Robert Koller
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/05/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.