May 13, 2025

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley Announces Milwaukee County Awarded $250,000 as a 2024 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize Winner

Nine communities in the United States received this national honor

MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is proud to announce that Milwaukee County has been selected as one of nine communities across the nation to receive the 2024 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Culture of Health Prize, a prestigious national honor that recognizes communities working at the forefront of advancing health, equity, and opportunity for all.  

“Milwaukee County is committed to becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin by achieving equity in all measurable areas,” said County Executive Crowley. “Our community’s recognition as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize award recipient represents how our partnership-centered approach is delivering results and supporting residents, families, and children in Milwaukee County. By working with national philanthropic partners like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we will continue our efforts to address systemic disparities and creating meaningful change in our community.” 

The projects that will be supported with the RWJF prize funding include: 

• Marcia P. Coggs Health and Human Services Center Outreach: Supporting advertising and outreach efforts for DHHS programs and services with the opening of the new facility. 
• King Park Homeless Outreach Support: Providing support to individuals facing homelessness, with a focus on the encampments in the King Park and surrounding neighborhoods, especially during the summer months. 
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center and Kosciuszko Community Center Improvements: Supplying new workout room equipment, furniture, computer lab upgrades, programming support, special event sponsorships and more.  
• Age-Friendly Communities Initiatives: Continued partnership as part of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities.
• Milwaukee Parks Foundation: Administering fiscal agent administrative fee. 

In 2019, Milwaukee County became the first jurisdiction in the country to declare racism a public health crisis, which was unanimously supported by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. In 2020, Milwaukee County created a racial equity budget tool to assess the impact of budget decisions on communities of color and trained over 4,000 employees to understand their individual roles in continuously advancing racial equity. Milwaukee County’s unwavering commitment to equity informs every decision, inspires innovation, and provides hope for a world in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive. 

More information about Milwaukee County’s selection as a RWJF Culture of Health Prize recipient is available HERE. More information about the RWJF Culture of Health Prize initiative is available HERE.

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