The New Jersey team at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently conducted a strategic planning process that resulted in an approach that amplifies our role as a place-based funder to contribute to policy change, systems change, and equitable benefits and resources for everyone in our New Jersey communities. The team’s approach involves a place-based strategy with three focus areas including: (1) closing gaps in Black maternal and infant health outcomes by changing policies, systems, and practices; (2) ensuring that everyone in New Jersey is able to live in affordable, safe, and stable housing in thriving communities of their choosing; and (3) supporting the modernization of an equitable, and adequately resourced public health system that is responsive to community health needs.
Throughout these focus areas and all of our work, we center health equity, racial equity, and community power-building as essential to building a Culture of Health in New Jersey. As we continue on this learning and strategy development journey, we are seeking an organization to work with us to re-envision and realign the strategy, structure, and operations of New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI), one of our statewide flagship programs since 1987.
One planning grant will be made to support an organization to cover two phases (18 months) of work, during which time the selected organization will, in Phase 1, co-create a strategy and administrative structure for NJHI (in collaboration with RWJF’s New Jersey team and other statewide partners) that will culminate in the launch of the new NJHI program. In Phase 2, the chosen organization will initiate implementation activities by preparing to launch, lead, manage, and implement the new NJHI program; and develop and launch the release of the first CFP for the field in fall 2023 and select the first round of grant awards.