Equitable Community Development
Transforming neighborhoods to improve health and wellbeing.
Community development facilitates neighborhood change that enables residents to thrive.
Community development is the work of creating the physical, economic, and social conditions in communities that enable residents to reach their best possible health and wellbeing—including affordable housing, community facilities for early childhood and health services, local businesses and cultural institutions, and parks and open spaces. At its best, community development addresses structural racism and channels community voice and power.
Through its community development-related grants and impact investments, RWJF seeks to facilitate change that is driven by and responsive to residents to improve health and wellbeing and to ensure that investment flows to the places that have long been neglected while safeguarding against any unintended consequences, such as displacement.
Featured Initiatives
RWJF funds many initiatives to create opportunities that improve health equity. For this area of focus, these initiatives were selected to demonstrate grantmaking that is helping us achieve the greatest impact.
Impact Investments for Community Development
The community development finance system (infographic)—made up of mission-driven lenders (infographic) is a main driver of capital for essentials like affordable housing, clean water, and small businesses that create jobs and generational wealth in communities that historically have experienced a lack of investment, especially communities of color and those with low incomes. Our impact investments and related grants focus on strengthening the community development finance system.
Increasing Economic Opportunities—Supporting Financial Institutions
1-min read
Investing in Latino Communities
3-min read
Advancing Financial Inclusion by Strengthening Credit Unions
1-min read
Increasing Investments in Underserved Communities
2-min read
Creating Economic Opportunity in Central Appalachia
2-min read
Increasing Lending to Small-Business Owners of Color
3-min read
Improving Community Water Infrastructure
3-min read
Improving Quality of Life in New Jersey Through Local Investment
3-min read
Catalyzing Finance for Racial Equity
2-min read
Supporting the Indigenous Finance System on the Mountain Plains
4-min read
Increasing Community Resilience for Climate-Related Events
2-min read
Resources from Grantees
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Infrastructure
1-min read
Impact Investing
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Building Community Power
1-min read