Health Policy Strategy & CMMI Consulting
About Kinney Health Strategy
I'm Sarah Kinney, MPA, and I build strategies that move health outcomes at scale. At CMMI, I co-led design of CMS's first integrated behavioral-physical health model for dual-eligible adults, serving as lead author on the federal NOFO and projecting a 345% cost offset from reduced preventable utilization.
As Executive Director of Minnesota's Governor's Health Cabinet, I led a $20B portfolio, built the state's first statewide population health strategy, and protected coverage for 1.6 million residents.
Before public service, I co-founded SuperShelf, a behavioral economics-based food environment intervention backed by $3.4M in NIH funding, and directed $317M in national SDoH investments at Partnership for a Healthier America. I hold an MPA in Health Policy from Harvard Kennedy School.
Mariela Glandt
CEO, OwnaHealth
"Sarah understands CMS grant mechanics. She knows how CMMI actually thinks, and that insider perspective shaped every strategic decision in our application, from program design choices to budget structure. She combines that internal vantage point with rigorous attention to detail, helping us build a submission that was both strategically sound and meticulously executed. We'd work with her again without hesitation."
Sophia Lenarz-Coy
Executive Director, The Food Group
"Sarah has a unique ability of holding both the big picture and the project details at the same time. We needed someone to take international nutrition science and make it usable for food access programs on the ground in Minnesota. She analyzed several academic frameworks, distilled them into language our team could understand, guided us to one that could actually work, and gave us a roadmap we could move on immediately. Her pragmatic approach is grounded in best practices. I'd hire her again without thinking twice."
Consulting Services
Federal Grant and Funding Strategy
I help organizations navigate the federal funding landscape across CMS, CMMI, NIH, and USDA. At CMMI, I led development of the federal NOFO for CMS's first integrated behavioral-physical health model for dual-eligible adults. I've led grant development and secured funding from NIH, USDA, and CMS. That range gives me an insider's read on how federal reviewers will evaluate your application and helps craft a submission that's primed for funding.
Social Determinants of Health Strategy
My HRSN and SDoH work goes back over 15 years. I spent that time building and scaling anti-hunger organizations, so I know what community-based organizations are actually up against: unpredictable funding streams, mission creep driven by good-hearted staff, and burnout and turnover that resets institutional knowledge. I help nonprofits and payers figure out how to work with each other in ways that hold up in the long-run, so the mission can stay at the forefront.
Value-Based Care Program Design
I led the design of Minnesota's first statewide population health strategy, work that protected coverage for 1.6 million residents. That's given me the insight to help VBC programs match risk models to the population they're built for, build quality metrics people on the ground can actually influence, and weave in incentive structures that work in the long-run.
Nutrition & Food System Strategy
I co-founded SuperShelf, a food environment intervention backed by $3.4M in NIH funding, and I currently chair the policy committee for a regional food bank. That work has shown me how to build partnerships between food banks and health systems that share risk and reward, and how to integrate policies like SNAP and WIC deeper into partnership with Medicaid and clinical care.
