Collaboration Initiatives and Toolkits

“The Intersector Project is a non-profit organization that empowers practitioners in the business, government, and non-profit sectors to collaborate to solve problems that cannot be solved by one sector alone. The Intersector Project's work is both sector- and issue-neutral — created for practitioners from all sectors, working on a range of issues, across the United States. Because the models and methods for cross-sector collaboration are proliferating, The Intersector Project’s resources speak to the broad array of collaborative approaches that practitioners in the field are actively using to solve problems.”

“The Action Guide is a framework to help multi-sector groups work together to improve population health by addressing 10 interrelated elements for success and using the related resources as needed. Like a “how-to” manual, the Action Guide is organized by these 10 elements and contains definitions, recommendations, practical examples, and a range of resources to help communities achieve their shared goals and make lasting improvements in population health.”

“To [advance health equity], [health departments] must transform how they work internally, with communities, and alongside other government agencies. To support this challenging work, [HealthEquityGuide.org] developed this set of strategic practices…[to] help local health departments systematically address power imbalances, racism, and other forms of oppression which are at the root of health inequities.”

“Accountable Communities for Health (ACHs) are community-based partnerships formed across sectors such as health care, housing, social services, public health, employment training and economic development to focus on a shared vision and responsibility for the health of the community. The Funders Forum on Accountable Health creates a common table for public and philanthropic funders of ACHs to share learnings and opens the door to future collaboration.”

“As part of its multi-sector data and information system focus, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation launched DASH. DASH aims to identify barriers, opportunities, promising practices and indicators of progress for multi-sector collaborations to connect information systems and share data for community health improvement.”

“The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The annual Rankings provide a revealing snapshot of how health is influenced by where we live, learn, work and play. They provide a starting point for change in communities. The Roadmaps [then] provide guidance and tools to understand the data, and strategies that communities can use to move into action.”

“The Community Tool Box is a free, online resource for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change. It offers thousands of pages of tips and tools for taking action in communities. Want to learn about community assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, advocacy, and other aspects of community practice? Then help yourself to over 300 educational modules and other free tools.”

Community Commons is “an evolving interactive mapping, networking, and learning utility for the broad-based healthy, sustainable, livable communities movement” that provides “easy-to-use, democratized access to data, GIS-generated maps, and reporting tools.”

“The Coalition for Learning + Health is dedicated to creating the conditions for health in our nation’s schools by increasing collaboration between the health and education sectors.”

CityHealth, an initiative of the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Permanente, believes “policy is one of our most powerful tools to improve people’s lives and make cities thrive.” They aim to advance “a package of evidence-based policy solutions that will help millions of people live longer, better lives in vibrant, prosperous communities.”