About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in America. This mission is inspired by our founder, General Robert Wood Johnson II. Carrying forward his legacy, we are dedicated to working toward a healthier nation rooted in equity, compassion, and respect.
Our Guiding Principles
Inspired by our founder, General Robert Wood Johnson II, our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of all in America.
How We Work
RWJF works in collaboration with policymakers, business leaders, community groups and many other stakeholders. Together, we share a common interest in addressing the many harmful obstacles to wellbeing, including poverty, powerlessness, and discrimination, and advancing health equity for all.
We focus on identifying, illuminating, and addressing barriers to health, particularly those caused by structural racism and its intersection with other forms of discrimination, including sexism, ableism, and prejudice based on sexual orientation.
We lean on evidence to advance health equity. We cultivate leaders who work individually and collectively across sectors to address health equity. We promote policies, practices, and systems change to dismantle the structural barriers to wellbeing created by racism. And we work to amplify voices to shift national conversations and attitudes about health and health equity.
Learn more about our approach, our strategic vision, and how we work across the nation toward action that will help us achieve health equity.
Our History
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.