The Convergence Network is an emerging field of equity-focused grantmakers committed to advancing healthy people and healthy places through joint action and policy and practice changes.
Prevention Institute serves as strategic advisor for the Convergence Partnership, providing staffing and guidance on strategy development and policy analysis.The Convergence Partnership is a collaborative of foundations and healthcare institutions working to advance healthier and more equitable environments through a vision of Healthy People, Healthy Places: a nation where every community fosters health, prosperity, and well-being for all.
Seven organizations participate on the steering committee of the Convergence Partnership:
The California Endowment; Kaiser Permanente; Kresge Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Nemours Foundation; The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and The W.K. Kellogg Foundation; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serves as the Partnership’s technical advisor; PolicyLink serves as the program director for the Partnership; and The Tides Foundation manages grants made through the Convergence Partnership Fund at Tides.
The Partnership works at the intersection of multiple issues to realize co-benefits and ensure its investments will have the most impact. The interconnections between health, the economy, and physical and social environments must be exposed and bridged for broad-scale change to occur. This multisectoral approach helps uncover solutions that solve multiple problems at once. A sampling of resources and ongoing efforts supported by the Convergence Partnership are featured here. For more information, please visit: www.convergencepartnership.org.
Projects & Initiatives
PI works with a breadth of partners and communities to develop strategies and practices to keep people healthy and safe in the first place. Below is a selection of ongoing or recent projects.
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The Convergence Network
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Food Systems
The Convergence Partnership has prioritized improving access to healthy food since its inception, bringing a systems approach and an equity orientation to investing in multisector policy solutions.
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Prevention and Health Systems
The Convergence Partnership is committed to supporting investments and efforts that emphasize prevention and health system improvements that advance the community’s health and safety, especially for low-income communities and communities of color.
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Resilient Equitable Development
Resilient equitable development is a priority area of focus for the Convergence Partnership. Equitable development is an approach to creating healthy, vibrant communities of opportunity.
Publications
We research and write reports, white papers, fact sheets, opinion pieces, and journal articles, as well as produce videos and podcasts. Here are some of our latest offerings.
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How a Group of Philanthropists Broke the Mold and Unlocked the Power of Collaboration
Prevention Institute's Larry Cohen and Policy Link's Judith Bell explore the Convergence Partnership's new model of philanthropy--how making grants from a shared pool and coordinating advocacy efforts empower the partner organizations to take risks and advance a shared agenda for policy, systems and environmental change.
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Convergence Partnership Urges Support for Prevention and Equity
The Convergence Partnership affirms its commitment to community prevention strategies being critical to achieving equitable health and safety outcomes, thriving communities, and a prosperous nation.
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Recipes for Change: Healthy Food in Every Community
The paper outlines organizational practices and public policies to expand access to healthy foods in support of healthy eating and better overall health.
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Strategies for Enhancing the Built Environment to Support Healthy Eating and Active Living
Though this brief primarily views the built environment through a public health lens, it also describes built environment issues from the perspective of environmental justice, sustainable food systems, economic development, equity, and climate change.
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Fostering Physical Activity for Children and Youth: Opportunities for a Lifetime of Health
The report serves as a launching pad for action for practitioners and advocates who are interested in engaging in systems and environmental change approaches in four key arenas: schools, early childcare and education settings, out-of-school-time programs, and communities.
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The Transportation Prescription: Bold New Ideas for Healthy, Equitable Transportation Reform in America
This brief presents a compilation of research and recommendations written by advocates and academics in the fields of transportation, public health and equity.