Dalio Philanthropies supports health and wellness initiatives focused on both physical and mental health, with a focus on solutions that improve healthcare quality and accessibility for all. Grants have been made in this area to establish the Dalio Center for Health Justice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital; to support bipolar clinical research and patient care; to expand access to meditation training; and to provide nutritional support and prenatal vitamins to expectant mothers.
Dalio Center for Health Justice
The Dalio Center for Health Justice at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which launched in October 2020 through a $50 million donation from Dalio Philanthropies, aims to understand and address the root causes of health disparities with the goal of setting a new standard of health access for the communities it serves.
The Dalio Center for Health Justice has four focus areas:
- Education and Leadership
- Research and Implementation Science
- Clinical and Community Strategy and Implementation
- Data and Infrastructure
Mental Health
Dalio Philanthropies supports leading and innovative organizations in the mental health space. These organizations work to advance research on bipolar disorder and related illnesses, to expand access to holistic care for the most vulnerable, and to help combat stigma and isolation associated with mental illness.
Since the early 2000s, Dalio Philanthropies has supported the Johns Hopkins Mood Disorder Center, a division of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, to help understand and treat bipolar disorder and related illnesses, and to build awareness of mental illness. Among the Center’s programs is the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP), a nationally recognized effort to educate school-based professionals, high school students, and parents about the illness of depression. To date, ADAP has reached nearly 150,000 high school students nationwide.
More recently, Dalio Philanthropies supported research into the genetics of bipolar disorder at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute. Genetics has long held the promise of opening avenues to improve the quality of treatments. With support from Dalio Philanthropies, researchers at the Broad identified the first strong acting genetic variants that predispose individuals’ chances of developing bipolar disorder from one in a hundred to one in ten. Researchers are now applying these findings with machine learning to further analyze longitudinal data of patient subgroups with the goal of improving treatment options.
Dalio Philanthropies supports initiatives that provide assistance to people at pivotal moments in their mental health journey, including McLean Hospital’s peer specialist program, which provides counseling and support to patients preparing for discharge from hospitalization. Peers are trained using a state-certified curriculum designed to help patients navigate the reintegration into community life.
Additionally, Dalio Philanthropies is dedicated to reducing stigma and isolation by fostering community and understanding. Our support of Bring Change To Mind, NAMI NYC, Fountain House, and Community Access has helped thousands of individuals and families access the support, resources, and connections they need to thrive.
Meditation
Dalio Philanthropies supports organizations providing meditation training, including the David Lynch Foundation and the World Community for Christian Meditation, as a way to improve mental health and reduce stress. One of our longstanding grantees, the David Lynch Foundation, helps to prevent and eradicate trauma and toxic stress among at-risk populations by promoting widespread implementation of meditation to improve their health, cognitive capabilities, and performance in life. Grants from Dalio Philanthropies have provided meditation training for at-risk schoolchildren, veterans, and health workers.
Nutrition and Prenatal Health
Dalio Philanthropies supports communities with access to the nutrition they need to thrive. Our efforts include a partnership with Fair Food Network, a nonprofit that pioneers solutions supporting farmers and strengthening local economies while increasing access to healthy foods. Through the Fair Food Network’s Double Up program, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) participants receive a dollar-for-dollar match on the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. Dalio Philanthropies’ recent support has focused on expanding the Double Up Food Bucks Program to reach more expectant mothers and children at a critical phase of their development.
Additionally, Dalio Philanthropies supports Vitamin Angels, a global public health organization that distributes life-changing vitamins and minerals to at-risk mothers and children under five years of age in both the U.S. and around the world. Vitamin Angels and their partners serve over 60 million women and children in 65 countries.
