The California Endowment

The Challenge

APCO was brought in to position The California Endowment (TCE), the state's largest healthcare foundation, as a leading force in the effort to improve the health and living conditions of California's agricultural workers.

The Solution

APCO helped TCE create and facilitate deliberations of a 23-member task force to produce recommendations for a multi-year, grant-making program to improve the health and welfare of California's agricultural workers. These recommendations served as the impetus for TCE's Agricultural Worker Health Program, a $50 million, five-year program.

APCO organized a state capitol press conference to announce the program's first phase of funding. APCO also coordinated the media launch of Binational Health Week, a campaign for which TCE provided funding support and a collaboration between the governments of California and Mexico and the University of California to improve the health of Mexicans in California. APCO continued to direct a media campaign to announce the distribution of $10 million in grants to California nonprofit organizations to help meet the urgent healthcare needs of agricultural workers.

The Result

Through the various media relations programs, stories and editorials were run in more than 50 media outlets. Print coverage by English-and Spanish-language newspapers included USA TODAY, The Los Angeles Times, The Sacramento Bee and La Opinion. APCO also garnered statewide coverage on English-and Spanish-language radio and television stations. Several newspaper editorials commended TCE for its leadership.

The media coverage helped agricultural workers obtain health services and underscored TCE's long-term commitment to improving the health of agricultural workers.

APCO received the International Association of Business Communicators' "Crystal Award of Excellence" for best public relations campaign and the Sacramento Public Relations Association's "Gold Cappie Award" for a press conference as a result of its efforts on behalf of TCE.

Services Provided

• Community affairs & strategic philanthropy
• Government relations
• Issue management
• Media relations
• Positioning

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