Tools. Strategy. Reflection. For systems that serve.
Partnering for
Community Well-Being
We collaborate with communities and the systems that serve them to build capacity, strengthen programs, and support lasting well-being.
Driving Change That Lasts
At Cardea, we work alongside health teams across the country to enhance capacity, strengthen workforces, and deliver meaningful change in the communities they support.
From responsive training to collaborative evaluation and strengths-based consulting, our work helps partners navigate complexity with clarity—and purpose.
“We’re here to move systems forward. Not with one-size-fits-all fixes, but with strategy, tools, and reflection that honor the people doing the work.”
— Cardea Team
As the health landscape — including public health — continues to evolve, we remain committed to co-creating what comes next, in collaboration with public agencies, community partners, and government-aligned systems nationwide.
Our History
Decades of Community-Rooted Impact
Cardea’s story began more than 50 years ago with a commitment to increasing access to quality reproductive and sexual health care — particularly in communities that had been historically underserved.
Over the decades, we’ve built lasting relationships with health departments, clinics, school districts, community-based organizations, Tribal nations, foundations, and other partners supporting community health. Today, we work with organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and beyond — offering research, evaluation, capacity building, and professional learning to help teams strengthen systems that matter.
Cardea continues to be a trusted partner — grounded in data, guided by community insight, and focused on sustainable impact in public health.
Cardea’s Work
Tools That Strengthen
Public Health Systems
We envision communities where all people—especially those most often left out—have access to the resources, support, and opportunity needed to live healthy, connected lives.
Through capacity building, evaluation, and professional learning, we partner with organizations — including state and local agencies — to strengthen programs, support teams, and move systems forward.
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Strengthening the people and systems that care for our communities.
Cardea partners with agencies and organizations across the health and human services landscape — from Tribal and public sector institutions to community-based organizations, schools, and health centers — to co-create strategies for learning, adaptation, and long-term growth.
Our approach is strengths-based, relational, and always responsive to context — whether we’re supporting professional development, strengthening essential skills, or facilitating deep systems change.
In a time of uncertainty and growing need, we center community insight, prioritize relevance, and design every engagement with a focus on sustainability, access, and impact that lasts.
Collaborative, practical, and grounded in real-world change.
Cardea’s Social Impact Evaluation team blends rigor with relevance to help organizations learn, adapt, and lead more effectively. From local youth programs to multi-site health initiatives, we co-design every step — centering shared values, implementation realities, and actionable insight.
We prioritize data strategies shaped by those closest to the work — elevating lived experience and translating findings into decisions that matter. Our insights are meant to guide action, shift systems, and tell the full story of impact.
Strengthening people power through purposeful learning.
Cardea designs and delivers high-impact learning experiences that help health and human service professionals lead with clarity, confidence, and care. Whether through live trainings, virtual learning environments, or continuing education programs, our approach is rooted in adult learning principles, community insight, and real-world relevance.
We collaborate with agencies, coalitions, and cross-sector partners to co-create professional development strategies that are responsive to today’s challenges — and sustainable over time. From tailored learning needs assessments to full-scale eLearning platforms and continuing education certification, our work is designed to meet teams where they are and move them toward lasting growth.
Through a range of initiatives, we’ve supported hundreds of leaders in building core competencies, strengthening workforce resilience, and expanding access to inclusive, evidence-informed learning.
At its heart, our work is about expanding what’s possible — for teams, for organizations, and for the systems they strengthen.
What We Build Together
Where We Work
Cardea collaborates with partners across the U.S., its territories, and Tribal nations to strengthen systems through training, evaluation, and hands-on consultation. Our work is evidence-based, nonpartisan, and adaptable to a range of policy and political environments.
Cardea supports health and public health efforts in all 50 states — and beyond. Use the interactive map to explore where we’ve worked and how those partnerships are helping move systems forward.
California
➞ Partnered with leaders across state, regional, and local health and education systems to deliver training, evaluation, and strategic planning in support of integrated health education, school-based wellness, sexual health services, youth substance use prevention, inclusive practices, and trauma-informed care.
Colorado
➞ Partnered with a local health center to assess the impact of new STI testing approaches and identify opportunities for service improvement.
Connecticut
➞ Facilitated trainings to help local HIV prevention programs strengthen their ability to design and carry out meaningful, practical evaluations.
Georgia
➞ Partnered with CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health and ICF to deliver ongoing, tailored professional development for local education agency leaders — supporting effective implementation of sexual health education, services, and safe, supportive school environments for approximately 2 million students nationwide.
Idaho
➞ Trained all Disease Investigation Specialists in delivering respectful, inclusive services grounded in community context and real-world application.
Illinois
➞ Partnered with The Raven Collective, a key Indigenous health partner, to support community-led strategies that strengthen wellness and systems of care.
Kansas
➞ Partnering with Health Forward Foundation to support training, evaluation, and strategy efforts aimed at advancing community-driven approaches to health and wellbeing.
Louisiana
➞ Co-created an assessment to identify public health workforce training needs related to infection prevention and control in community settings.
Maryland
➞ Supported state-level assessments and evaluations to strengthen sexual and reproductive health initiatives and inform future planning.
Michigan
➞ Presented at NACCHO 360 on a multi-year initiative to assess the strengths and learning needs of Infection Prevention and Control staff, and co-develop a tailored hybrid training pathway and virtual learning community to support local health departments nationwide.
Minnesota
➞ Trained sex educators working with youth in foster care and juvenile justice systems across a five-state region, supporting consistent, inclusive, and responsive instruction.
Missouri
➞ Partnered with local health agencies and community partners to assess maternal and child health outcomes and services for Black mothers and families, with the goal of promoting access to respectful, high-quality care and support.
Nevada
➞ Facilitated strategic planning with state leaders to support the rollout of new health education policies and ensure clear, coordinated implementation.
New Jersey
➞ Developed national core skills training for sex educators and conducted research focused on the experiences of underrepresented communities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disabled populations.
New York
➞ Redesigned evaluation strategy for a youth-serving nonprofit to highlight lived experience and strengthen impact storytelling for funders and stakeholders.
North Carolina
➞ Partnered with Fact Forward to support evaluation, technical assistance, and strategic planning for adolescent sexual health education across counties in the Carolinas — including implementation in schools, community organizations, faith-based settings, and juvenile detention facilities.
Ohio
➞ Partnered with a local community-based organization to evaluate programs supporting maternal and infant health, connection, and access to care.
Oklahoma
➞ Delivered custom training, eLearning, and evaluation support for youth educators and Tribal health systems — helping strengthen sexual health education and disease care through collaborative, data-informed approaches.
Oregon
➞ Supported instructional leaders and Indigenous partners through coaching and evaluation efforts to strengthen sex education delivery and assess the impact of peer support networks.
South Carolina
➞ Provided evaluation, training, and strategic support for adolescent sexual health education and trauma-informed practices — partnering with community health workers and organizations across schools, faith-based settings, detention facilities, and more.
Texas
➞ Supported statewide and community-led efforts to promote sexual health, gender wellbeing, and healthy relationships through curriculum development, program evaluation, and training for school-based staff, clinics, and HIV/STI prevention providers.
Vermont
➞ Facilitated statewide action planning to support adolescent health through clear goals, shared priorities, and collaborative next steps.
Washington
➞ Partnered with public agencies and community-based organizations to expand sexual health education, support early childhood and family-serving programs, and strengthen trauma-informed services — through tailored training, evaluation, and capacity-building efforts across schools, detention facilities, housing systems, and more.
Washington D.C.
➞ Co-developed models and tools to support inclusive, community-informed HIV services — including a tailored index to identify and address barriers impacting access and quality of care.
West Virginia
➞ Partnered with a local coalition to assess community strengths, service gaps, and priorities — informing next steps for strengthening substance use support programs.
Puerto Rico
➞ Developed responsive curriculum and training to support sex education implementation across Puerto Rico, grounded in local context and community priorities.