2020-2021 RWJF Culture of Health Prize winners share innovative strategies to advance health, opportunity and equity

From 2013 through 2021, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborated to select and award communities the RWJF Culture of Health Prize.

To date 54 communities have been awarded the Prize in recognition of their efforts to advance health, opportunity, and equity for all. 

Most recently, the 2020-2021 winners were announced: 

• Addison, Ill. — Addison, a suburb of Chicago, is transforming health through cross-sector partnerships and community-led action.
• Alamosa County, Colo. — Alamosa County prioritizes its policies and resources to ensure all have the opportunity to be healthy, from those who have lived in the county for 15 generations to recent arrivals.
• Chickaloon Native Village — Building connections across the larger community has fostered an inclusive culture of health in Nay’dini’aa Na’ Kayax (Chickaloon Native Village) located in its ancestral lands of the Matanuska Watershed within southcentral Alaska.
• Drew, Miss. — A small rural town, Drew is revitalizing its community while honoring its roots. By leaning into resident-led solutions, community leaders and partners have come together to think big about what is possible.
• Howard County, Md. — Diversity, equity, and inclusion are vital pieces of the fabric in Howard County, demonstrated in part by its largest city, Columbia, a planned community designed to bring people of all backgrounds together.
• National City, Calif. — National City doesn’t shy away from the complex issues that impact the health of its richly diverse community in southern California; it takes an all-in response to make change happen.
• Palm Beach County, Fla. — In Palm Beach County, Florida’s third most populous county, organizational partners are regularly joining forces with local leaders and community residents to create sustainable change within its diverse neighborhoods.
• Rocky Mount, N.C. — Moving with a sense of urgency and possibility, Rocky Mount is addressing generations of disinvestment through an array of community wealth-building approaches to expand homeownership, create career pathways through job training, and provide academic enrichment opportunities.
• Thunder Valley Community, Oglala Lakota Nation (Oceti Sakowin Territory) — Residents in Thunder Valley are leading with tradition and innovation. Lakota Lifeways permeate the community’s efforts to build a dynamic community where families can heal and thrive for generations. 
• Worcester, Mass. — Described by residents as a “city of neighborhoods,” Worcester prides itself on being a diverse and inclusive space where all identities are embraced and welcomed.

Learn more about this year’s winners and see videos, photos, and more at RWJF Culture of Health Prize.