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RWJF announced a partnership with the NAACP in 2019, highlighting an increasing commitment to racial equity and grassroots activism.
RWJF hones its focus around four central themes: children, communities, health and health care, and leadership.
RWJF unveils the Action Framework with 41 evidenced-based measures pointing to “greater wellbeing and health equity for all.” Motivated by hopeful signs of progress, as well as persistent and troubling racial and ethnic inequities in that progress, RWJF pledges a second $500 million to continue the work.
The Roadmaps to Health Prize begins honoring communities at the forefront of improving health. It will be renamed the Culture of Health Prize the following year.
While RWJF’s commitment to health equity has roots as far back as the General, the convening of the high-profile Commission to Build A Healthier America is a key public milestone on our journey.
RWJF revises its access and chronic health conditions goal areas to bring them more fully into alignment with the goal of improving the quality of health care for all Americans. RWJF designates childhood obesity as one of its top priorities.
RWJF pioneers Covering Kids: A National Health Access Initiative for Low-Income, Uninsured Children (1997–2002) 1) identify and enroll children eligible for Medicaid and other public health insurance programs; 2) simplify the enrollment process; and 3) promote coordination among programs. RWJF’s efforts contribute to impressive results: The number of uninsured children drops from 11 million in 1997 to 8 million in 2002. The successor program, Covering Kids & Families (2001–2009), saw enrollment in the state Children’s Health Insurance Program double to 4.4 million between 2000 and 2007.
Recognition that well-being increasingly is rooted in non-medical areas inspires RWJF to partner with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on a 10-year program to make the nation’s public health system “more effective, more community-based and more collaborative." Operating in 22 states, the program, Turning Point: Collaborating for a New Century in Public Health (1996–2006), engages stakeholders not previously involved in public health, among them businesses, educators, and faith communities. The program spurs creation of statewide public health institutes and a national movement toward accreditation of health departments.
RWJF awards the billionth dollar of grant funds since its establishment as a national foundation in 1972.
RWJF establishes the nation’s largest source of private funding for research and policy analysis of health care economics and organizational infrastructure. Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (1988–2014) provides a bridge between researchers and policy-makers. Funded studies focus on topics such as Medicare, links between health costs and the general economy, the economics of care coordination, private insurance, and the nation’s long-term care needs.
Deepening its home-state commitment, the New Jersey Health Initiatives program (1987–2014) invests in innovative projects in ambulatory and community health in New Jersey. A diverse grants portfolio supports projects focused principally on two themes: preventing dating abuse among adolescents and promoting health literacy among immigrants.
RWJF makes its first grant: $44 million to the Association of American Medical Colleges for student aid.
On January 30, Johnson & Johnson’s founder and principal shareholder, Robert Wood Johnson died, leaving his common stock in the company to the Foundation.
The Johnson New Brunswick Foundation Board of Trustees changes its name to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and amends its certificate of incorporation to allow grantmaking beyond Middlesex County. New Jersey remained the focus of the Foundation’s work until 1972.
The Johnson New Brunswick Foundation is incorporated, principally to address needs in New Jersey’s Middlesex County. Its first act was to transfer 130 acres of land to the county for a public park on the banks of the Raritan River. Johnson Park, as it is known today, is a beautiful gathering spot with picnic groves, sports fields, an animal haven, and a restored 18th century village.