We envision a future in the Bay Area where leaders, communities and residents unite to prevent pervasive adversities in childhood and promote healthy development. To do that, we must reimagine how we support the social, economic and physical well-being of kids and families who have been made vulnerable by long-standing inequities, and who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Rajni Dronamraju, Genentech’s Senior Director of Corporate Giving

A Public Health Threat

Research has shown that prolonged exposure to stress and trauma, such as abuse, neglect, violence, and racism, can harm children’s developing brains and bodies and lead to higher rates of illnesses later in life (like cancer, stroke, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s).

As a company passionate about eradicating disease and reducing healthcare disparities, Genentech is working to build a movement to address the negative health effects of childhood adversity, which is a critical public health issue.

That’s why we created The Resilience Effect, our flagship philanthropic initiative committed to addressing childhood adversity and its negative effects on health and well-being, with a focus on children under the age of five and their caregivers.

Since 2016, we have invested more than $20 million to advance the healthcare field’s understanding of early exposure to toxic stress, develop new models that bridge pediatrics with community resources, and shift the policy landscape.

We started with an audacious goal - to improve the health and wellbeing of all low-income children and families affected by significant adversity in the Bay Area.

To date, we have reached 160,000 low-income Bay Area children, with the model being scaled by the state of California to more than 500,000. We have also trained more than 1,500 safety net clinic staff and providers and 17,000 public health staff.

  • $20M investment
  • 160K Bay Area children reached
  • 17K public health staff trained

Current Grants and Programs

See how our $20 million investment in The Resilience Effect supports a range of organizations working closely with families, communities, and pediatric providers across the Bay Area.