Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2024)

OVERVIEW: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is the largest U.S. health philanthropy. Its grantmaking is divided into dozens of initiatives within four broad focus areas: Healthy Communities; Healthy Children and Families; Leadership for Better Health; and Health Systems.

IP TAKE: With assets exceeding $13 billion in a recent year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is not only a major health grantmaker, but one of the largest foundations in the United States. In recent years, RWJF has increasingly targeted health equity and the many upstream social and racial factors that contribute to health outcomes. It has broadened its approach to include factors like housing, education, and access to good jobs as important determinants of health. To these ends, in 2014, past RWJF president Risa Lavizzo-Mourey announced that building a “Culture of Health” would become the foundation’s central approach. (See Inside Philanthropy founder David Callahan’s assessment of Lavizzo-Mourey’s transformative 14 years leading the foundation here.) RWFJ is known for supporting evidence-based solutions, seeking multi-sector collaborations, and tackling advocacy and policy change. Its support for movement building and supporting smaller, grassroots and community-based organizations has steadily increased, though it still often funds major institutions and larger nonprofits.

RWJF is a transparent funder. It boasts a comprehensive, searchable grants database dating back to 1972, as well as publishing blogs, press releases, research reports, datasets, and policy briefs. It is also a fairly accessible funder that typically has multiple calls for proposals and active grant opportunities open at any given time. These grant opportunities change frequently, so grantseekers are advised to sign up for funding alerts via the RWJF newsletter and to check back often for updates. Some previous grantees have advised that networking and developing a relationship with RWJF program officers can go a long way towards securing funding.

PROFILE: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was founded by General Robert Wood Johnson II, son of Robert Wood Johnson I, co-founder of pharmaceutical and medical supply giant Johnson & Johnson. Originally founded as the Johnson New Brunswick Foundation, its original mission was to address the needs and well-being of Middlesex County, New Jersey. In 1952, the foundation took on its current name and expanded its mission beyond New Jersey. Since 1972, RWJF has made grants for medical school student aid, health and medicine, public health, medical research, healthcare policy, and human services.

In 2016, the foundation reformulated its strategy to bring all of its grantmaking under the umbrella of creating a “Culture of Health.” Its current mission, as stated, is to build “a Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being.” This funder’s four focus areas include Health Systems, Healthy Communities, Healthy Children and Families, and Leadership for Better Health. Within these four overarching focus areas, sub-areas include public and community health, healthcare coverage and access, equitable community development, housing policy and practice, and nurses and nursing, among other programs. RWJF posts active funding opportunities on its website.

Grants for Public Health

Public health is one of RWJF’s primary concerns in its mission to build a “Culture of Health in American communities.” It supports and promotes research, policy reform, impact investment, leadership development, and advocacy across all four of its focus areas:

Grants for Mental Health

RWJF makes its mental health grants through its Healthy Communities program, which prioritizes organizations that support minorities and children. However, some grants related to mental health projects do appear in some of its other program areas, such as the Leadership for Better Health program, which focuses on funding new and innovative projects, and the Health Systems program, which provides funding to organizations that extend healthcare to under-served populations.

Innovative organizations and projects might have a better chance by soliciting funds through the Pioneering Idea program, but this program generally receives less funding than the foundation’s other areas of work.

Grants for Violence Prevention

Each of RWJFs principal grantmaking programs includes multiple subprograms that effectively expand the foundation’s focus areas to include violence prevention and the impact of violence on health and well-being.

  • RWJF awards grants to organizations addressing issues such as the impact of adverse childhood experiences, sexual violence, violence prevention and acute crime among young people of color.

  • One crime and violence initiative that received support from RWJF is Drexel University School of Public Health, which received a grant for its Healing Hurt People program. The program addresses trauma in victims of acute crime. The University of Chicago School of Social Services Administration also received a grant from RWJF for its study concerning the criminal justice and health impacts of the Chicago Police Department’s pre-arrest diversion strategy for opioid addicts.

Important Grant Details:

Grants typically range from $50,000 to $1 million, but are sometimes in the several million. For such a large grantmaker, RWJF is unusually open to providing smaller grants to a large swathe of nonprofit organizations alongside its larger grants. Grantseekers may review the foundation’s Grants Database for more information on the work it has supported.

  • RWJF supports organizations across the United States, but some legacy programs may prioritize giving in New Jersey, where the foundation was originally incorporated.

  • While it has focus areas dedicated to health systems, public health, childhood development, and health leadership, it often prefers to fund programs that take a holistic approach that combine aspects of multiple focus areas.

  • RWJF accepts applications to any of its Active Funding Opportunities. Deadlines vary by grant, but often fall in the spring. Grantseekers should review the foundation’s Grants Process page before applying.

  • RWJF does not generally fund basic biomedical research, drug therapy or device research or lobbying.

Grantseekers may contact the foundation at mail@rwjf.org or reach out to the program officer assigned to the grant in question for further inquiries.

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2024)

FAQs

Who funds the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation? ›

Robert Wood Johnson II left a bequest of 10,204,377 shares of Johnson & Johnson stock to the foundation upon his death in 1968. The foundation became a national philanthropy in 1972. The value of the stock was more than US$1 billion, making it the second-largest private foundation at the time.

Is Robert Wood Johnson Foundation political? ›

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believes strongly that medical professionals and public health officials should have the ability to protect their patients and their communities based on best practices in science and medicine without political interference.

What is Robert Wood Johnson known for? ›

Robert Wood Johnson (born Feb. 15, 1845, Carbondale, Pa., U.S.—died Feb. 7, 1910, New Brunswick, N.J.) was an American manufacturer who helped further the cause of modern surgery by developing antiseptic bandages and dressings.

Where is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation located? ›

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, located in Princeton, N.J., is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime.

Who is the CEO of the Wood Foundation? ›

Committed to the importance of philanthropy, Sir Ian Wood and his family established The Wood Foundation in 2007, where he is Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Is Robert Wood Johnson private or public? ›

RWJF establishes the nation's largest source of private funding for research and policy analysis of health care economics and organizational infrastructure.

Is Robert Johnson a Republican or Democrat? ›

Robert Johnson (Louisiana politician)
Robert Johnson
Personal details
BornRobert Allen Johnson January 1975 (age 49)
Political partyDemocratic
EducationLoyola University, New Orleans (BA, JD)
11 more rows

Is Woody Johnson a Republican? ›

Is Johnson a conservative? ›

Johnson has been described as an adherent of one-nation conservatism. Commentators have also likened Johnson's political ideology to liberalism and libertarianism, and in some cases Gaullism and Trumpism. Some of his views and political leanings have changed over time.

What is the goal of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation? ›

Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.

How did Robert Wood Johnson make his money? ›

In 1874, Robert Wood Johnson formed a business partnership with George J. Seabury. Seabury & Johnson quickly became a successful and respected maker of medicated plasters and other health care products.

Does Robert Wood Johnson own the Jets? ›

Robert Wood Johnson IV (born April 12, 1947) is an American businessman who is co-owner of the New York Jets, he also was the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021.

Who are the presidents of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation? ›

Richard E. Besser, MD, (he/him) is president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), a position he assumed in April 2017 following a long career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at ABC News.

Who started the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation? ›

Established as the Johnson New Brunswick Foundation in 1936 by Robert Wood Johnson II, the Foundation was dedicated to helping local people in need. In 1972, we became the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, expanding our mission to improving the health and wellbeing of everyone in America.

What is the vision statement of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation? ›

We are working to achieve health equity—faster and together. We join others in paving the way to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.

Who funds the now Foundation? ›

No, NOW is a non-profit organization which receives all its operating funds from private donations and membership dues.

Is RWJ a nonprofit? ›

RWJBarnabas Health Foundation, established in 2000, is a registered 501(c) (3) not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to nurturing philanthropic support for the programs and services of RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey's largest integrated health care delivery system.

Who owns Foundations Investment Advisors? ›

Foundations Investment Advisors was founded in 2015 by current principal owner and CEO Bryon Rice. Rice has spent more than 20 years in the financial services industry.

What project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has resulted in the increase focus in nursing on patient safety? ›

In 2005, nursing leaders responded to the IOM call to improve the quality of healthcare by forming the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Tish Haag

Last Updated:

Views: 5279

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (67 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Tish Haag

Birthday: 1999-11-18

Address: 30256 Tara Expressway, Kutchburgh, VT 92892-0078

Phone: +4215847628708

Job: Internal Consulting Engineer

Hobby: Roller skating, Roller skating, Kayaking, Flying, Graffiti, Ghost hunting, scrapbook

Introduction: My name is Tish Haag, I am a excited, delightful, curious, beautiful, agreeable, enchanting, fancy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.