Commonwealth Fund

Commonwealth Fund is a private U.S. foundation whose purpose is to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, and people of color. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy.

History[edit | edit source]

The Commonwealth Fund, often referred to as the Fund, was established in 1918 by Anna M. Harkness with the broad charge to enhance the common good. The Fund has a long history of making significant contributions to the advancement of health care policy and practice. It was one of the first foundations to undertake and publish research on comparative health system performance and regularly produces reports benchmarking the U.S. system against other countries.

Activities[edit | edit source]

The Fund's activities are guided by its mission to promote a high-performing health care system. It pursues this goal through a three-pronged strategy: supporting research, policy analysis, and technical assistance; fostering public and professional education; and providing financial support to innovative health care delivery models and practices.

Research[edit | edit source]

The Commonwealth Fund conducts and supports research on health care issues, focusing on key issues such as health care access, quality, and efficiency. The Fund's research is widely cited and used by policymakers, health care administrators, and researchers.

Grants[edit | edit source]

The Fund provides grants to improve health care practice and policy. It supports innovative projects that test new approaches to care, with a particular focus on the needs of the most vulnerable. The Fund's grantmaking is guided by its commitment to promoting equity in health care.

Publications[edit | edit source]

The Fund publishes a wide range of publications, including reports, issue briefs, and blog posts, which are available on its website. These publications provide insights into the challenges facing the health care system and propose solutions based on the Fund's research and grantmaking.