While many charitable organizations devote time and money to health initiatives, only the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation can say it is the largest nonprofit dedicated solely to “improv[ing] the health and health care of all Americans.” Robert W. Johnson II, son of Johnson & Johnson co-founder Robert W. Johnson, established the Johnson New Brunswick Foundation in 1936 to aid New Jerseyans most affected by the Great Depression. The foundation was renamed to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1952, and 20 years later, it officially broadened its reach beyond the borders of the Garden State. With almost $9 billion in assets, according to the Foundation Center, the foundation covers a full spectrum of health-related issues; it works in the four “priority topics” of health policy, prevention, cost and value, and leadership. Specific projects include efforts to reverse childhood obesity and ensure coverage for the uninsured, in addition to grantmaking across the board.
