About the Fund

Mount Zion Health Fund (MZHF) traces its origins to the establishment of a Jewish hospital, Mount Zion Hospital, in San Francisco at the end of the 19th century. Established to serve the Jewish and broader communities, Mount Zion Hospital was one of the eight original constituent members of the Federation of Jewish Charities of San Francisco (the present day Jewish Community Federation).

Over the course of almost a century, the hospital remained independent and was guided by the values, culture, and traditions that were the legacy of not only its founders, but many others associated with it over the decades. In more recent times, changes in the healthcare landscape have led many Jewish hospitals to integrate with other healthcare systems. Mount Zion Hospital’s 1990 merger with UCSF Medical Center led to the establishment of Mount Zion Health Fund (formerly Mount Zion Health Systems, Inc.).

In 2005, MZHF became a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. In this capacity, MZHF continues to uphold the traditions of Mount Zion Hospital and oversee the interests of its historical donors.

Funding Priorities

MZHF’s mission is to advance programs designed to improve the physical, emotional and spiritual health of vulnerable populations. Reflecting the Jewish values, traditions and legacy of Mount Zion Hospital, MZHF collaborates with UCSF at Mount Zion, and the San Francisco Jewish community, to meet health-related needs in San Francisco.

From the mid-1990's , MZHF supported a wide variety of community-based nonprofit organizations striving to meet pressing health concerns within San Francisco. As of July 2011, in acknowledgement of MZHF’s historical roots, the funding focus is on the following three areas:

• Jewish Legacy Awards (core or innovative health-related programming at San Francisco community-based agencies with past or current Jewish roots);
• Mount Zion Campus-Community Partnership Awards (fostering collaborations between Mount Zion Campus programs working in partnership with San Francisco community-based agencies to provide innovative community health programming);
• Mount Zion Campus-based Awards focused on patient care and/or health education programs.

Requests submitted to MZHF within these categories are evaluated based on the following priorities:

• Serves a vulnerable population whose health status, compared to the general population, is particularly compromised.
• Provides responsive and creative solutions to health-related needs in San Francisco.
• Provides direct health services to improve the health of the Jewish and/or broader community.

* The above guidelines apply to the general and specific funds that grant discretion to MZHF’s Board of Directors. Additional limitations and guidelines govern expenditures from restricted and advised funds. Capital requests, and non-UCSF-related research requests, are discouraged.