News Center

As a not-for-profit company, BlueCross has a responsibility to give back to the people and communities we serve. One of the key ways we do this is through the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation.

We spoke with Chelsea Johnson, Director of Community Relations and Foundations, about the BlueCross Foundation’s beginnings and how it continues to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors.

When did the Foundation get its start?

The BlueCross Foundation was originally known as the Tennessee Health Foundation, and the company filed a charter with the Tennessee secretary of state in September 2003. The BlueCross board appointed foundation officers in 2004, and the foundation distributed its first grants in 2005.

Like many organizations, BlueCross wanted to re-invest some of its resources to serve the communities where its customers live. So, we created and provided seed funding for the foundation to improve public health and support the wellbeing of all Tennesseans.

Where does the foundation’s money come from?

A common misunderstanding is that foundation projects are funded through that year’s premium dollars, and that’s not the case.

When the foundation was established in 2004, BlueCross contributed some initial funding from that year’s earnings. The company has not contributed funds since 2014, and the foundation now functions like an endowment. It’s self-sustaining through income generated by investments.

In 2018, the foundation launched the BlueCross Healthy Place program as its signature cause. Can you talk a bit about that?

Around 2017, we began looking for ways to focus our foundation’s giving to make a more sustained impact on Tennessee communities. With some help from a workgroup comprised of BlueCross senior leaders and board members, we began evaluating options for a signature cause.

After about 10 months of work, we decided to focus on creating community spaces for our neighbors to come together, and the BlueCross Healthy Place program was born. We officially launched the program with the announcement of our first project, the BlueCross Healthy Place at David Carnes Park in Memphis, which opened in 2019.

How many BlueCross Healthy Places are there, and how is the program evolving?

Since the program launched, the BlueCross Foundation has invested $60 million in BlueCross Healthy Place projects across the state . There are 25 open or in progress, and we’ll be announcing three more very soon.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve begun to evolve the definition of what a BlueCross Healthy Place is. Healthy activity is important, but we want to use these spaces to bring people together in other ways, too.

A major step here is our partnership with the National Civil Rights Museum on the BlueCross Healthy Place at Founders Park. This project won’t have play or fitness equipment. Instead, we’re installing infrastructure elements, including lighting, seating and art that will make the space a usable area for museum visitors to stop and reflect. It’s a new iteration of the BlueCross Healthy Place concept, and I’m excited to see what doors this opens for future projects.

How are BlueCross Healthy Places making a difference?

We know that BlueCross Healthy Places are having the intended effect—bringing our neighbors together.

In 2024, there were more than one million visits to BlueCross Healthy Places statewide , totaling more than 45 million minutes spent in community spaces. And since the program launched, there have been more than three million visits to our parks.

My team and I have heard stories about couples buying homes close to BlueCross Healthy Places so their future children have a place to play. We’ve heard about parents—including some of our own BlueCross employees—being grateful their children with special needs have a place to play and explore. And we’ve brought community spaces to areas where residents previously had to travel to play or work out.

Does the BlueCross Foundation support other initiatives?

Yes. One of the other primary programs the foundation funds is the BlueCross Power of We Health Equity Scholarship. The BlueCross Foundation awards $10,000 each to six recipients based on their community service, leadership and academics, as well as their commitment to improving health equity for Tennesseans. The scholarship is open to outstanding Tennessee graduate and undergraduate students of all backgrounds. We recently closed this year’s application cycle and will be announcing our 2025 recipients over the summer.

We also support special community projects that improve the lives of our neighbors. Examples of these include:

• Our contribution to the BlueSky Future Ready Institutes at Red Bank and Soddy Daisy High Schools in Chattanooga,
• The Chattanooga Future Fund, which provides educational savings accounts for Hamilton County students, and
• Our support of a new building for the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.

We also frequently contribute foundation funds to assist with disaster relief efforts. These donations are often sent to the American Red Cross or directly to local organizations assisting residents of affected areas. Last year, we contributed $400,000 to recovery efforts for Tennesseans impacted by Hurricane Helene. We also recently gave $10,000 to residents of McNairy County who were affected by an EF-3 tornado.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were also able to provide a combined $5 million to food banks statewide, which were facing increased demands and declining donations due to the health emergency.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

As a BlueCross employee myself, I’m particularly proud of our company’s commitment to make a difference in the lives of our members and neighbors—and how we use the BlueCross Foundation to live out our mission. Through this giving, we’re able to have a direct, positive impact on our fellow Tennesseans that goes beyond providing access to affordable health care.