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.

• Applicant organizations must be either public entities or nonprofit organizations that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are not private foundations or Type III supporting organizations. The Foundation may require additional documentation.
• Applicant organizations must be based in the United States or its territories.
• Applicant organization must have a physical location and established relationships in New Jersey.
• If the applicant organization is applying as part of a collaborative effort with other organizations, each collaborating organization must be described in detail in the proposal, however only one organization may represent the collaboration and be the lead contact in the application process.

• June 22 (1:30 p.m. ET)
  Optional applicant webinar. To listen to the webinar, please use this link.
• July 13, 2022 (3 p.m. ET)
  Deadline for receipt of proposals.
• September 12–16, 2022
  Site Visits. RWJF will conduct a virtual or in-person, half-day site visit with each finalist applicant. More information will be provided to finalists once selected.
• November 1, 2022
  Grant Start date.

The Foundation plans to identify an organization that will receive up to $450,000 for up to an 18-month period. It is anticipated that the activities of this organization will continue after this period, contingent upon appropriate progress toward agreed-upon deliverables within the first 18 months, and that this organization will serve as the new NJHI program office for 10 years.

Award time period: Program start date will be November 1, 2022, and will continue through April 30, 2024.