NJ Health Initiatives Pledges Another $2 Million to Build Healthier Communities Across State

CAMDEN — Ten community coalitions from across the state have joined the movement to build a Culture of Health in New Jersey, with the announcement July 14 by New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) of new grants to help make the Garden State a healthier place for people to live, learn, work and play. The grants of up to $200,000 each will fund community-focused coalitions of organizations from different fields to develop policy-oriented, long-term solutions for healthier living.
NJHI is the statewide grantmaking program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the nation’s largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health and the largest foundation headquartered in New Jersey.
The 10 grantees join 10 funded in 2015 under NJHI’s Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey – Communities Moving to Action initiative, which strengthens multi-sector coalitions through funding, training, and networking opportunities.
“This is a terrific opportunity for communities across the state tell us what their biggest health challenges are and how they are collaborating across sectors to address them,” explained Bob Atkins, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of NJHI. “Our Round One grantees are already putting innovative ideas into practice. This second round of grantees increases our spread across New Jersey for a strong Culture of Health to take root.”
The Round 2 grantee coalitions are led by the following organizations:
Ø Cape Regional Medical Center, serving Cape May, Cape May County
Ø Hunterdon Healthcare Foundation, serving Hunterdon County
Ø Meadowlands Transportation Brokerage Corp (dba Meadowlink), serving Asbury Park, Monmouth County
Ø Ocean County YMCA, serving Toms River, Ocean County
Ø Raritan Bay Area YMCA, serving Perth Amboy, Middlesex County
Ø Rutgers University – Camden, serving Bridgeton, Cumberland County
Ø Somerset Healthcare Foundation, serving Bound Brook & South Bound Brook, Somerset County
Ø United Way of Greater Union County, serving Plainfield, Union County
Ø United Way of Passaic County, serving Paterson, Passaic County
Ø Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, serving Greater Freehold, Monmouth County
The coalitions are eligible to receive a total of $200,000 over four years to develop and implement a Blueprint for Action in their communities. To ensure their work continues beyond the four years of grant funding, they are required to provide matching funding of $35,000 in the final two grant years. Teams representing each coalition will also attend a Boundary Spanning Leadership Institute, led by the Center for Creative Leadership, where participants will focus on developing strong, cross-sector relationships to better address the many factors that influence health.
Across New Jersey, RWJF is working to build a Culture of Health, where health is a core value and where everyone has the opportunity to live the healthiest life possible. This vision recognizes that many factors influence health—including poverty, environment, opportunities for education and jobs, safe and affordable housing, availability of nutritious food and places for physical activity, and access to health care, child care, and social services—creating the need for action within and across sectors.
To learn more about the first round of Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey – Communities Moving to Action visit njhi.org. To view videos about work already underway visit NJHI’s YouTube channel.
About New Jersey Health Initiatives:
New Jersey Health Initiatives is the statewide grantmaking program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Established in 1987 in honor of the New Jersey philanthropic legacy of RWJF’s founder, Robert Wood Johnson, NJHI supports innovations and drives conversations to build healthier communities through grantmaking across the State of New Jersey. To meet the many health needs of our state’s diverse populations, regions and communities, the NJHI program encourages collaboration across sectors to foster deep relationships committed to long-term change affording all New Jerseyans the opportunity to live the healthiest life possible. Learn more about NJHI at njhi.org, and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/NJHI_.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the largest private foundation in New Jersey and has worked for more than 40 years to improve health and health care. We are working with others to build a national Culture of Health enabling everyone in America to live longer, healthier lives. RWJF has invested more than $900 million in New Jersey since 1972. For more information, visit rwjf.org/nj. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at rwjf.org/facebook.