Human Impact Partners (HIP) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the landscape of public health. Our core mission is to advance health equity and build collective power in close collaboration with social justice movements. We believe in fundamentally reshaping public health to center the needs of communities most impacted by inequity. At human impact partners, we are driven by a vision of a just world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Our Vision for a Just and Healthy Society
We envision a society deeply rooted in health, healing, and a profound sense of belonging. This is a world where everyone’s fundamental needs are not just met, but anticipated and honored, fostering a collective responsibility to care for one another and cultivate communities that are both equitable and just. Human impact partners champions the idea that all people should possess the power to actively shape the culture, policies, and systems that profoundly impact their lives and the well-being of their communities.
We firmly believe that the field of public health must be intrinsically linked to health equity and racial justice. This requires upholding policies, practices, and systems that are intentionally designed to ensure the health and overall well-being of those who have been historically marginalized and are in greatest need. Public health practice, in our view, must unequivocally affirm the inherent humanity of each individual and our deep interconnectedness. Human impact partners actively works to bridge the critical gap between the public health community and diverse social justice movements, fostering powerful collaborations to build collective power and ensure lasting equity for all.
Our Core Values: Guiding Principles in Action
At human impact partners, our work is deeply informed and driven by a set of core values that shape our approach and define our commitments:
- Structural Transformation: We are committed to achieving health equity and racial justice through deep, systemic change. This involves working hand-in-hand with social justice movements to transform the very systems and institutions that shape our environmental, economic, social, and political realities. We believe in addressing the root causes of inequity for sustainable and meaningful change.
- Centering the Heart: We lead with our shared humanity, recognizing the centrality of authentic relationships in all we do. We intentionally create space to acknowledge and honor the emotional and physical experiences within our work. Our aim is to cultivate a strong sense of belonging and facilitate collective healing from the pervasive traumas inflicted by systems of both privilege and oppression.
- Racial Justice: We are unwavering in our commitment to creating the necessary conditions for people of color to not only be healthy but to truly thrive and be free. We understand that true liberation for all is inextricably linked to the dismantling of White supremacy, anti-Blackness, and all intersecting forms of oppression. We strive for a world where racial identity, socioeconomic status, gender, or ability are no longer barriers to reaching one’s full potential.
- Authentic Democracy: Our focus is on building genuine community power. We believe in empowering all people to collectively and meaningfully shape the policies and systems that govern their lives, ensuring that decisions reflect the needs and voices of the community.
- Partnership: We recognize that achieving our ambitious vision requires collective action. Human impact partners actively cultivates partnerships with grassroots organizing groups and governmental bodies, building powerful and resilient relationships and alliances to collectively transform our institutions and systems for the better.
- Emergent Practice: We embrace an emergent and adaptive approach to our work. We understand that transformative change requires strategic risk-taking and a commitment to continuous learning. We acknowledge that we will always have more to learn and that as conditions evolve, our practices and strategies must also adapt and change to remain effective and relevant.
Read our theory of change
View our Key Initiatives
Strategic technical assistance from HIP guided us through a two year transformational process that has deepened our health department’s health equity and social justice work.
— Ana Novais, Deputy Director, Rhode Island Department of Health
Meet the Staff
