Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) stands as the largest U.S. philanthropic organization devoted exclusively to health. Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, it has shaped American health policy for over five decades. Its mission goes beyond funding hospitals or clinics; it targets the root causes of poor health, including social, economic, and environmental factors. The foundation’s work has touched millions of lives, from helping create the 911 emergency system to reducing tobacco use and teenage pregnancies, and even changing how hospice care is perceived. Under the leadership of its president and CEO, Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RWJF has continued to push for health equity. The foundation funds research, community-led initiatives, and government partnerships, and it makes impact investments to support innovative solutions. Its endowment, valued at $13 billion as of 2020, places it among the top philanthropic institutions in the country. In 2015, it ranked fifth in investment assets, according to Pensions & Investments and the Foundation Center. With a focus on building a Culture of Health, RWJF works to ensure that everyone in America has a fair and just opportunity to live the healthiest life possible.

Founded in 1972 by Robert Wood Johnson II, the foundation was established with shares of Johnson & Johnson stock. Upon Johnson II's death in 1968, his bequest significantly expanded the foundation's assets. RWJF actively seeks to avoid investments in companies involved with firearms, alcohol, cannabis, or tobacco. The foundation's work is organized around four main program areas: healthy communities, health leadership, health systems, and healthy kids, healthy weight, all aimed at achieving health equity and dismantling structural racism. [edit]