Our Guiding Principles
The inspired vision of our founder, Robert Wood Johnson II, was to improve health and healthcare in America, especially for those most in need.
Energized by our legacy of tackling challenging issues, we take bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. We take our responsibilities seriously, and pledge to work in ways that reflect our values.
- We seek bold and lasting change rooted in the best available evidence, analysis, and science, openly debated.
- We treat everyone with fairness and respect.
- We act as good stewards of private resources, using them to advance the public’s interest with a focus on helping the most vulnerable.
- We cultivate diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.
- We speak out as leaders to promote health and wellbeing.
We are privileged to do this work. We are proud of our successes and accomplishments, and we believe our best achievements lie ahead.
Principles in Practice
We are working to achieve health equity —faster and together. We join others in paving the way to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. To get there we must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. We do this through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, working side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions. We believe deeply in the value of sharing key insights from our efforts—what worked, what didn’t, and why.
Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is committed to building a Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and wellbeing. Achieving this goal requires focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our Guiding Principles and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commitment speak to our dedication to these important areas.
Our Code of Conduct
To achieve our vision for a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right, we hold ourselves accountable to working in a respectful, fair, and ethical way. We have the special privilege and responsibility to manage the distribution of private funds set aside for public purposes. Our code of conduct is based on our Guiding Principles and assists us in our collective efforts to achieve our goals.
