Roadmaps To Health Community Grants Advocacy Toolkit

Introduction

The Roadmaps to Health Community Grants support two-year state and local efforts among policymakers, business, education, health care, public health and community organizations to address the social, economic and other factors that affect the health of people in their community. There are currently 30 grantees in communities across the United States engaging in policy or system change advocacy campaigns.

Like the Roadmaps to Health grantees, those interested in improving the health of a community face the challenge of creating an effective advocacy campaign that influences key decision-makers and community members to take action. The Roadmaps to Health Community Grants Advocacy Toolkit is designed to support and strengthen these kinds of advocacy campaigns. This toolkit is based on the experiences of successful advocates across the nation, and is organized according to eight capacities needed to carry out effective advocacy campaigns.

Select a link below to find a brief description of each capacity and tools designed to support and strengthen this area of your work.

1. Developing and Implementing Policy Campaigns
2. Policy Research and Analysis
3. Coalition Building and Maintenance
4. Influencing Decision Makers
5. Engaging Grassroots Support
6. Communications and Media
7. Telling Your Story
8. Generating Resources

We thank the organizations who developed these tools and who granted their permission to have them included in this toolkit. In particular we would like to thank the following program partners for their role in developing the toolkit:

• M+R Strategic Services developed many of the tools included in this toolkit, including the PowerPrism, a framework that informed the Roadmaps to Health Community Grants advocacy framework.
• Working Partnerships USA contributed to the development of this toolkit.
• University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute whose County Health Rankings & Roadmaps website and Take Action Center provide useful information for communities taking action to address their health.

Feedback, ideas and questions can be sent to roadmaps@communitycatalyst.org.