Spotlight: Sustaining ParkRx Santa Cruz County Through Funding and Leadership Transitions

Spotlight: Sustaining ParkRx Santa Cruz County Through Funding and Leadership Transitions

Published: May 12, 2026
Publisher: Mathematica; California Department of Public Health

Download

Associated Project

Statewide Coordinating Center for California Healthy Eating and Active Living Coalitions

Time frame: 2025-2026

Prepared for:

California Department of Public Health, Nutrition and Physical Activity Branch

Authors

Alyssa Bosold

Vanessa Silverstein

Mariah Roberts (County Park Friends)

This brief provides a practical example for coalitions navigating changes in program funding and leadership. It describes how ParkRx Santa Cruz County, a coalition focused on connecting people with affordable, safe outdoor activities to support health and well-being, continued operating after funding cuts affected its lead organization. ParkRx Santa Cruz County sustained the program by diversifying its funding sources and identifying a new coalition leader with the capacity to continue the work. To support a successful leadership transition, ParkRx Santa Cruz County used several key strategies, including providing tailored support to the new leader, maintaining trusted partnerships to sustain program buy-in, and developing a knowledge management strategy to preserve institutional knowledge and ensure continuity.

Efficiency Meets Impact.
That's Progress Together.

To solve their most pressing challenges, organizations turn to Mathematica for deeply integrated expertise. We bring together subject matter and policy experts, data scientists, methodologists, and technologists who work across topics and sectors to help our partners design, improve, and scale evidence-based solutions.

Work With Us