Insights from implementation of a community-based model for collaborative public good investing

Communities across the United States are looking for ways to reduce health inequities. Improving the social determinants of health (SDOH) is one fruitful pathway. In prior work we developed a financing model to incentivize and coordinate joint SDOH investments among local stakeholders, called the Collaborative Approach to Public Good Investments (CAPGI). A core thesis of our model is that at least some SDOH investments can be funded without reliance on philanthropic or government monies: Because they can produce value that flows to multiple organizations simultaneously, SDOH investments can be aligned with health organizations' self-interest. We describe our model's evolution in practice and synthesize insights drawn from our experiences providing technical assistance to three communities that have implemented CAPGI. Each community is unique, but we identified common themes related to governance processes and coalition dynamics that are relevant to any community trying to increase local, place-based investments in health.