The West Orange Healthcare District has announced a $3 million endowment grant to Shepherd’s Hope, a non-profit organization providing free acute and specialty-care medical services, education and wellness programs to uninsured and underinsured residents.

The grant is the largest endowment gift Shepherd’s Hope has received in its 24-year history. The funding will help sustain its administrative, operations and programming in west Orange County and enable the organization to focus on more long-term education and healthy community initiatives.

“This incredible endowment secures Shepherd’s Hope’s presence as a servant of those in need in west Orange County,” said Shepherd’s Hope President & CEO Pam Gould. “It allows us to continue serving the health and wellness needs of vulnerable populations here, and also gives us the ability to plan for meeting the growing needs of our community in more innovative, creative ways.”

Including the new endowment grant, the District has awarded Shepherd’s Hope nearly $5 million in funding since 2013.

“Shepherd’s Hope is a crucial lifeline for so many in our community who don’t have the financial means to access healthcare services,” said West Orange Healthcare District CEO Tracy Swanson. “Their work is so important that in addition to the programming and capital support we’ve provided over the years, we also decided to award an endowment to ensure these services are always available to those who most need them.”