The McKesson Foundation

Founded in 1943, the McKesson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) corporate foundation dedicated to advancing health outcomes for all. The Foundation’s mission is to remove barriers to quality healthcare across North America, especially for vulnerable and underserved communities.

As we celebrate our 80^th anniversary this year and continue to champion health equity, we are expanding our portfolio of nonprofit partners to advance efforts aligned with our three strategic giving pillars and corresponding areas of focus:

REDUCING THE BURDEN OF CANCER

The American Cancer Society estimates 1.9M people will receive a cancer diagnosis in 2022 and two in five Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. These cancer diagnoses often create both a health and financial crisis for patients and their families. Studies show factors including race/ethnicity, health insurance status and income can affect the timing of a patient’s diagnosis and treatment, as well as their survival and financial impact. Working with our partners, we aim to reduce the risk of getting cancer and address socioeconomic barriers to care.

Prevention – provide education and services to encourage people to adopt healthy diets, exercise regularly, avoid tobacco, and protect their skin.
Screening and Treatment – increase awareness of the importance of screenings, early detection and timely treatment among vulnerable populations; provide free health screenings for patients and connect them to care.
Financial/Logistical Assistance – connect uninsured and underinsured patients to programs providing low or no-cost co-pays and social determinants of health (SDOH) interventions, e.g., transportation, childcare, healthy food, home meal delivery; reduce the economic burden of low-income patients with emergency funds for rent, utilities and other household expenses.

Two doctors checking a patient's blood pressure

Photo courtesy of UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

DIVERSIFYING THE HEALTHCARE TALENT PIPELINE

Patients report that they feel more heard and are more compliant with medical guidance when they share race/ethnicity with their healthcare practitioner. Nearly a third of the U.S. population is Black or Hispanic, yet the combined Black and Hispanic representation among oncologists is 8 percent and the combined Black, Indigenous and Hispanic representation among pharmacists is 10.7 percent. Closing the gap between diverse representation among the general population and among healthcare practitioners will improve health equity and patient outcomes.

Oncology Professionals – increase underrepresented in medicine (URiM) student recruitment and retention; increase all health professionals’ cultural competency to better serve a diverse patient population.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians – increase URiM recruitment and retention; prepare students for broader pharmacist roles; leverage pharmacists’ extensive training, community presence and public trust to serve vulnerable and rural patient populations.
Student Engagement – increase students’ awareness of STEM careers; support students’ financial literacy; help prepare middle and high school students for higher education.

Workers sealing a box in a distribution center

ACCELERATING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND DISASTER RELIEF

With the increased frequency and intensity of climate events, more people across North America need temporary or extended shelter, as well as food and medications, during and in the aftermath of crises. And with 10 percent of the population in both Canada and the U.S. living in food insecure households, programs to provide regular, nutritious meals to children, families and seniors can reduce chronic disease and improve long-term health.

Preparedness – support relief agencies’ efforts to prepare for forecasted as well as unforeseen emergencies; support relief agencies’ efforts to help people become Red Cross Ready.
Disaster Relief and Recovery – mobilize resources to provide acute services, such as water, food, shelter, comfort kits, medicines, and healthcare for people affected by natural disasters or crises; help families return to normalcy after a disaster.
Medicine and Food – assist vulnerable individuals and communities by supporting acute and chronic care services that provide medicines and food.

The Foundation further amplifies its impact in the communities where Team McKesson lives, works and operates by promoting employee volunteerism and bolstering charitable giving.

McKesson employees participate in volunteer activities like our annual Community Impact Days volunteer event. By volunteering, they also generate grants for our partners to fund services such as providing nutritious food and transportation.

While our employees are united by our purpose of advancing health outcomes for all, they also support a wide range of causes as volunteers and donors. The Foundation offers a Matching Gift program that doubles their donations and awards grants for individual and team volunteering.

McKesson Foundation programs for employees and their families

Help during natural disasters and unexpected emergencies

The McKesson Taking Care of Our Own Fund is our employee relief fund. It provides grants to colleagues going through financial hardship due to natural disasters, serious illness, and other unexpected events. It’s supported by donations from our company, the Foundation, and our employees.

Supporting college for McKesson families

Administered by Scholarship America, the McKesson Foundation Scholarship Program offers thirty new scholarships each year for the children of employees. Each scholarship can be renewed up to three times, and we take financial need into account.

Ready to get started?

If you’re a McKesson employee, head to the McKesson Foundation site to double your donations, log volunteer hours, and learn more about how you can give back to the community.

Note to prospective grantees

We are proud to support to a wide variety of nonprofits, including the organizations employees reach through matching gifts and volunteer grants. However, we’re not able to accept unsolicited grant proposals.