For many of us, early middle age is a time to celebrate what we have done, and to thoughtfully consider what we still strive to accomplish.

So it is for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 40 years after our emergence as a national philanthropy.

RWJF took its place on the national scene in 1972 with a $1.2 billion endowment provided by our founder and namesake, Robert Wood Johnson. As a business leader and philanthropist, Johnson led by example. He maintained a philosophy of "enlightened self-interest," calling upon business and industry to "accept and fulfill its full share of social responsibility." As president of Johnson & Johnson, he created the "Credo" which stressed the company's responsibility first to its consumers, second to its employees, third to its management, fourth to its community and last to its shareholders. See our founder for more.

Our founder gave us a healthy head start, to be sure, but that endowment came with a challenge equal to his largesse: to help all Americans lead healthier lives and get the high-quality care they need.

We accepted that challenge, and we ran with it.

Right out of the gate, one of the first issues we tackled was our nation's lack of adequate emergency medical services. In 1972, we launched a five-year, $15 million program to help communities develop emergency medical response systems. This program influenced funding requirements in the federal EMS Systems Act of 1973. See rich history for more information on our grants and areas of funding over the years.

Since then, we have worked with many diverse people and organizations to address complex, seemingly intractable problems at their roots and to help make a difference on the broadest scale—particularly for the most vulnerable among us. Visit program areas for more information about our current work and funding priorities.

As we enter 2012, a year with many challenges and opportunities, we take time to reflect, honor those who have come before us, reinvigorate ourselves toward the path ahead, and dream about a better future. During 2012, we will recognize some of the programs, people and policies that have made a contribution to our work over the past 40 years. We will be envisioning the future of health and health care—and asking you for thoughts and ideas.

We welcome you to join our celebration.