Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Pledges $5 Million to Support New Jersey Recovery in Aftermath of Superstorm Sandy
Princeton, N.J.—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today announced that it will provide $5 million to selected non-profit agencies to help New Jersey residents recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.
In the days immediately following the storm, RWJF made a $250,000 grant to the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey to support the agency’s emergency services, including setting up shelters, deploying volunteers, distributing food and relief supplies and offering emotional support and services in affected communities. An additional $250,000 grant was pledged to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey to help replenish food banks, shelters, soup kitchens and other agencies in the hardest hit areas of the state.
“This disaster has affected our Foundation family, our statewide community, and the organizations we work with to improve health in New Jersey,” said former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, chairman of RWJF’s Board of Trustees. “The values and guiding principles of our Foundation compel us to respond in a compassionate and thoughtful way to both immediate and longer term needs of the people of New Jersey.”
In addition to the $500,000 already committed, RWJF will provide $4.5 million to help with recovery, rebuilding and social services support, including mental health services for individuals and families in the state. Foundation executives will be meeting with state and local government agencies, relief and social service organizations and civic leaders to assess needs before determining how those funds will be granted.
“We take our stewardship of resources in the public’s interest very seriously,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of the Foundation. “We will work closely with state leaders and other funders so our resources help the people of New Jersey most affected by this tragedy now and in the months and years to come.”
New Jersey First Lady Mary Pat Christie added “I applaud the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on its proactive approach to helping ease the devastation wrought on our communities. It is the generosity and ingenuity of groups like RWJF that make our state so unique and makes me proud to be First Lady.”
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable, and timely change. For 40 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. Follow the Foundation on Twitter orFacebook.