A New Way of Working Together
Embedding Equity into Everyday Practice at FEED
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The Spark Within
During the COVID pandemic, the Family Engagement and Empowerment Division (FEED) of the California Department of Social Services reached a pivotal moment. The Division was seeking to scale its activities so that more of California’s families could access the financial, food, and educational resources made available by FEED. Amid a period of transition, newly appointed leadership took a thoughtful look at how the Division could better listen, learn, and operate as it scaled.
FEED identified an opportunity to strengthen alignment across the organization and embed equity more intentionally into its day-to-day work. To achieve equity within a public service organization of this scale, leadership recognized the need for a shared understanding and collective responsibility for the experiences of all people seeking services. FEED elected to lead this work through a race equity lens, acknowledging the depth of racial inequities faced by communities of color across economic stability, healthcare, housing, and educational outcomes. This moment of readiness became the spark that led FEED to reimagine its operations and partner with Anavo.
Igniting Change
Anavo partnered with FEED to support a multi-year, equity-centered transformation process spanning 2020–2024. The work unfolded in intentional phases, designed to build shared understanding, strengthen psychological safety, and embed equity into everyday practice as the Division evolved.
Understanding the landscape: We began by listening deeply to staff and leadership across FEED through interviews, assessments, and facilitated conversations. This discovery phase surfaced strengths, challenges, and opportunities related to equity, culture, and alignment—while also highlighting the central role of psychological safety in supporting honest dialogue and organizational learning. Findings were synthesized and shared with leadership to inform next steps.
Building psychological safety and leadership capacity: Building on these insights, Anavo supported FEED leadership through targeted coaching and facilitated sessions focused on trust, reflection, and navigating difficult conversations. Branch-level assessments helped teams better understand their current culture and identify concrete actions to strengthen psychological safety across roles and functions.
Establishing an equity workgroup: In January 2022, FEED—led by its Division Equity Liaison and supported by Anavo—convened a cross-functional Equity Workgroup of 16 staff and managers representing diverse roles and lived experiences across the Division. Over six months of bi-weekly meetings, the group engaged in shared learning and reflection, examined internal equity data, researched effective equity practices, and identified priority areas for advancing equity across FEED.
Constructing the FEED Equity Plan: Building on this foundation, the workgroup articulated individual and collective equity statements and partnered with Division leadership to establish a Division-wide Equity Statement. Together, they developed actionable recommendations across key equity focus areas, which directly informed the first iteration of the FEED Equity Action Plan (FEAP 1.0), grounding the plan in staff voice and lived experience.
Incorporating feedback: Through subsequent phases of broad staff engagement, branch-level workgroups, and executive leadership review, the Equity Plan continued to evolve. Anavo partnered closely with FEED leaders to incorporate feedback, refine goals, clarify action steps, and develop a shared Equity Plan Template—supporting measurable outcomes related to culture, workforce, data transparency, partnerships, and equitable policy and program operations.
Embedding equity into practice: As the plan matured, Anavo supported individual branches and bureaus in tailoring the Equity Plan to their specific contexts—helping translate shared goals into actionable strategies aligned with existing work. This ensured the plan functioned not as a static document, but as a living framework adaptable across a complex network of programs, roles, and evolving priorities.
Spotlighting Our Approach
Centering voice, power, and lived experience.
Across interviews, workgroups, and facilitated sessions, Anavo intentionally designed spaces that surfaced staff insight, navigated internal power dynamics, and fostered collective ownership of the Equity Plan—ensuring those closest to the work helped shape the path forward.
<<Learn more about how Anavo creates opportunities for every role—from frontline staff to executive leadership—to have a meaningful seat at the table>>Adaptable by design.
Because this partnership spanned several years of change, our approach was intentionally flexible and responsive. We worked alongside Division staff as new challenges and opportunities emerged, providing tools, resources, and collaborative support in real time.
<<Learn more about how Anavo helps clients flourish in shifting environments>>Grounded in a race equity framework.
This work was guided by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) model, which focuses on normalizing shared understanding, organizing for collective action, and operationalizing equity through tools, data, and accountability. Using a race equity lens allowed FEED to directly acknowledge and address systemic inequities impacting both staff and the families they serve—particularly those rooted in longstanding racial disparities.
Fueling Impact
More than any single outcome, the impact of this partnership was a shift in how FEED operates—toward a culture where voices are valued, difficult conversations are navigated with care, and equity is embedded into daily practice rather than treated as a standalone effort.
Leadership gained a clear and actionable way to guide decisions while remaining accountable to the people closest to the work. At the same time, staff saw their perspectives meaningfully reflected in the outcomes of the process, strengthening trust, engagement, and a shared sense of responsibility for advancing equity across the Division.
By centering equity within each action item of the FEED Equity Plan, the Division established a clear pathway for translating values into policies and practices—strengthening its ability to address internal inequities while more effectively meeting the basic needs of program participants. The fire ignited by the Plan continues to be carried forward by FEED’s own staff and leadership, fueling lasting impact for the families they serve.