Commonwealth Fund
Encyclopedia
The Commonwealth Fund is a private U.S. foundation whose stated purpose is to promote a high-performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, especially for society's most vulnerable.
investors, Stephen Harkness). Charged with the mandate to "do something for the welfare of mankind," Harkness founded the organization with an initial endowment of $10 million dollars. Her son Edward Harkness
served as its first president, and through additional gifts and bequests between 1918 and 1959, the Harkness family's total contribution to the Fund's endowment amounted to more than $53 million.
The Fund is one of the major philanthropic foundations in the United States today and one of the few established by a woman. Over the years, it has given support to medical schools and to the building of hospitals and clinics in rural areas. In New York City
, the Commonwealth Fund was a major contributor to the building of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center of the College of Physicians and Surgeons
and Presbyterian Hospital
at Columbia University
in 1922.
In addition, the Fund administers a number of fellowships including the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy, and two international fellowships: the Harkness Fellowships (launched in 1925 and previously known as The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship) and the Packer Policy Fellowship. The international fellowships bring researchers and practitioners from Australia
, Germany
, the Netherlands
, New Zealand
, and the United Kingdom
, among other countries, to study and conduct health policy research in the United States. The Harkness Fellowship/CFF was until the 1990s available to scholars of all academic disciplines, and included many who went on to excel in science, the arts and business. Uniquely for academic fellowship, the two-year fellowship in the U.S. included a mandatory period of two months travel so that the fellows became better acquainted with the U.S. A directory of past fellows is updated annually and the site shows current and past fellows are invited to numerous social events. In the U.K. the Harkness Fellows association still meets although the emphasis of the organization has shifted.
administration, and was the first woman to head a U.S. Public Health Service agency. Prior to her government career, Davis was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
in Washington, D.C., a visiting lecturer at Harvard University
, and an assistant professor of economics at Rice University
. A native of Oklahoma, she received her Ph.D. in economics from Rice University
.
History
The Commonwealth Fund is a charitable foundation established in 1918 by Anna Harkness (wife of one of the original Standard OilStandard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
investors, Stephen Harkness). Charged with the mandate to "do something for the welfare of mankind," Harkness founded the organization with an initial endowment of $10 million dollars. Her son Edward Harkness
Edward Harkness
Edward Stephen Harkness was an American philanthropist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four sons to Stephen V. Harkness, a harness-maker who invested in the forerunner of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller's oil company. Harkness inherited a fortune from his father...
served as its first president, and through additional gifts and bequests between 1918 and 1959, the Harkness family's total contribution to the Fund's endowment amounted to more than $53 million.
The Fund is one of the major philanthropic foundations in the United States today and one of the few established by a woman. Over the years, it has given support to medical schools and to the building of hospitals and clinics in rural areas. In New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the Commonwealth Fund was a major contributor to the building of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center of the College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, often known as P&S, is a graduate school of Columbia University that is located on the health sciences campus in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan...
and Presbyterian Hospital
Presbyterian Hospital
Presbyterian Hospital may refer to:* New York-Presbyterian Hospital, a hospital in New York City* Presbyterian Hospital , a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina* Presbyterian Hospital , a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1922.
Activities
The Fund currently operates under the following program areas: Health System Quality Improvement and Efficiency, Patient-Centered Coordinated Care, Long-Term Care Quality Improvement, Affordable Health Insurance, Payment and System Reform, State Health Policy and Practices, and the International Program in Health Policy and Practice. The Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System was established in 2005, in recognition of the need for national leadership to revamp, revitalize, and retool the U.S. health care system.In addition, the Fund administers a number of fellowships including the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy, and two international fellowships: the Harkness Fellowships (launched in 1925 and previously known as The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship) and the Packer Policy Fellowship. The international fellowships bring researchers and practitioners from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, among other countries, to study and conduct health policy research in the United States. The Harkness Fellowship/CFF was until the 1990s available to scholars of all academic disciplines, and included many who went on to excel in science, the arts and business. Uniquely for academic fellowship, the two-year fellowship in the U.S. included a mandatory period of two months travel so that the fellows became better acquainted with the U.S. A directory of past fellows is updated annually and the site shows current and past fellows are invited to numerous social events. In the U.K. the Harkness Fellows association still meets although the emphasis of the organization has shifted.
Current Leadership
The Fund is currently led by president Karen Davis, a nationally recognized progressive economist, with an extensive background in public policy and research. Before joining the Fund, she served as chairman of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where she also held an appointment as professor of economics. She served as deputy assistant secretary for health policy in the Department of Health and Human Services from 1977–1980, under the CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
administration, and was the first woman to head a U.S. Public Health Service agency. Prior to her government career, Davis was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
in Washington, D.C., a visiting lecturer at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and an assistant professor of economics at Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
. A native of Oklahoma, she received her Ph.D. in economics from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
.