Member Spotlight:

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Paves the Way for Grantmakers Joining the Movement to Combat Childhood Obesity

Posted: July 6, 2010
Nearly one third of children in the United States today are overweight or obese, increasing their risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. On February 9, 2010 First Lady Michelle Obama called on the nation to put an end to childhood obesity over the course of the next generation. Recognizing the interrelationship between obesity and other issues affecting children, youth and families, grantmakers across the field have begun answering her call and integrating obesity prevention strategies into their work. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s multipronged approach serves as a model for how philanthropies can tackle this issue head on.  

In 2007 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) announced a $500 million commitment to reversing the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015. The Foundation’s approach prioritizes changing policies and community environments. It is clear that people need to make healthy choices and change behaviors to prevent obesity, but many people live in communities where affordable healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity are scarce. Through its efforts and investments RWJF is striving to make the healthy choice the easy choice.

The Foundation’s strategy targets areas where children live, learn, and play, particularly focusing on racial and ethnic minorities at highest risk for childhood obesity. In addition to programs such as Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities that build community partnerships to make local policy changes, Communities Creating Healthier Environments works specifically in communities of color to ensure that children access healthy foods and are physically active in their neighborhood and in school. The Foundation’s programs also work on the state level to inform policymakers about the importance of statewide policy change. These include Leadership for Healthy Communities and the YMCA of the USA’s Pioneering Healthy Communities. RWJF has also have been active on the federal level to encourage policies that affect the entire nation. Staff has testified about the importance of policy change and the work of several of RWJF’s grantees informed the final report of the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity. 

As part of the Foundation’s commitment to educating leaders nationwide about ways to create healthier communities, RWJF recently partnered with GCYF to host a webinar Tipping the Scale: The Role of Philanthropy in Addressing Childhood Obesity and contributed an article to the GCYF Summer Insight of the same name.

Learn more about the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s efforts to combat childhood obesity on their website: www.rwjf.org.