We’re strengthening the role of public health — as a force for justice.
The Public Health for Community Power (PH4CP) Coalition is a growing network of non-governmental public health organizations coming together to strengthen our role within movements for racial, environmental, economic, and social justice by supporting grassroots organizing groups, also know as community power-building organizations.
Launched in 2024, with catalytic support from Health in Partnership, PH4CP is a response to the urgent call from community power-building organizations: public health has a unique opportunity right now to help build community power and protect both health and democracy. As attacks on our communities escalate, so must our collective power to defend them.
We believe public health can and must be a tool for transformation. That means offering what we do best — research, analysis, storytelling, advocacy — in direct support of frontline struggles. We see this as alignment with a broader vision of justice, rooted in deep relationship, mutuality, and accountability.
This Coalition is one way we reclaim our radical roots in public health. It’s how we refuse to be neutral in the face of injustice. And it’s how we build a future where every community has what they need not just to survive, but to thrive.
We have been talking about community power building for a while but how we are actually connected to community has been elusive. This space gives us a concrete way to practice and be a part of community power building work.
This current moment poses great challenges for public health. Public health is facing down illegal funding and workforce cuts, criminalization of people, prioritization of corporations and bottom lines over health, all of which will make people less healthy. While structural inequities have existed throughout US history, this moment is particularly alienating for the democratic institutions that impact the public health infrastructure and workforce. It is also an opportunity to transform public health practice to center the people experiencing disproportionate inequities while also fighting back against attacks on the public's health. The work we are taking on as the PH4CP Coalition is one strategy to build power to protect the health of all communities. The Coalition has the potential to serve as a model in this administration and beyond into a future of health equity.
What is power building?
This moment demands that public health practitioners not only respond to crises but also contribute to solutions that are led by communities and rooted in justice. Explore our introduction to power building in public health.
Our Purpose:
Mobilizing Collective Strength for Systemic Change
Born from the conviction that non-governmental public health organizations must actively
“fight for the public’s health,” the PH4CP Coalition is dedicated to: