Health Equity and Opportunity Initiatives
Our historic commitment to addressing inequities, combined with learnings from our multi-year Strategic Design Initiative, culminate into a powerful truth: We need sustained investments to advance the health, comprehensive well-being, and economic mobility of Black women living East of the Anacostia River.
Our Grantmaking Vision
Health Equity and Opportunity Initiatives (HEO) seek to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality and accelerate opportunities for Black women to enter and advance within health-related careers.
Reducing Cancer Mortality, Morbidity, and Improving Health Care Outcomes
Tailored patient navigation programs, data-driven understanding of disparities, sustainable funding, and culturally responsive care can significantly reduce the inequities in cancer outcomes among Black women living East of the Anacostia River.
By working closely with community-based organizations, health care providers, researchers, and philanthropic partners across the District, our strategic pillar seeks to ensure:
Black women are able to live whole, healthy, thriving lives
Black women living East of the Anacostia River have access to accurate information, high-quality care, and comprehensive support throughout their cancer care continuum
A health care system free of misogynoir where providers are aware of disparities impacting Black women and demonstrate positive behavior change
Providers are equipped to deliver care that honors each woman’s experience
Improving Economic Mobility in Health-Related Careers
Our portfolio is also championing economic mobility for Black women in health-related fields by tearing down systemic barriers and expanding pathways to sustainable careers. By partnering with community members, local organizations, training experts, and health care institutions in the District, we are designing workforce development strategies that not only create career opportunities but also support Black women as their whole selves in the workplace. From workplace policy changes to career advancement, we’re reshaping systems so:
Black women are entering and advancing in health-related fields, leading to greater economic security and mobility
Hospitals and health care institutions are creating accessible career pathways and offering comprehensive support to help Black women advance and thrive in the workplace
Black women no longer face invisibility in low-wage roles
Workforce development training providers, adult education programs, employers, community-based organizations, nonprofits, and local agencies are responding to the evolving professional and personal aspirations of Black women living East of the Anacostia River
Our Grantee Partners
JBRF is a true partner in the DC Primary Care Association’s work to advance health access and outcomes in the District of Columbia… They are not intimidated by the complexity or scale of the task…. only driven by the urgency to create lasting change. We are honored to work alongside them and grateful for their principled, persistent partnership.
Ruth Pollard
Since 2013, JBRF has served as a catalytic partner for Academy of Hope (AoH), supporting its evolution from a grassroots nonprofit into a leading adult public charter school in DC. Most recently, JBRF played a pivotal role in launching AoH’s Healthcare Program as part of the Hope Forward post-graduate transition initiative. Their partnership goes beyond funding, embodying a collaborative model that transforms lives and leads to economic mobility.
Mirvlyne Brice
Whitman-Walker Health (WWH) proudly partnered with the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation (JBRF) and Black Women Thriving East of the River in 2022 to identify the breadth and depth of patient navigation services for D.C. residents coping with cancer through a critical landscape analysis… excited to continue our vital work with JBRF in 2025 and beyond…
Amie Krautwurst
Since 2019, JBRF’s support for our workforce development, cancer navigation, health-career scholarships, and advocacy efforts has helped us build pathways to opportunity and health equity for Black women in Wards 7 and 8. JBRF’s belief in our vision has made it possible to lead boldly, with authenticity and rigor—and to demonstrate what’s possible when Black women drive the solutions.
Nakeisha Neal Jones
JBRF is a true partner in the DC Primary Care Association’s work to advance health access and outcomes in the District of Columbia… They are not intimidated by the complexity or scale of the task…. only driven by the urgency to create lasting change. We are honored to work alongside them and grateful for their principled, persistent partnership.
Ruth Pollard
Since 2013, JBRF has served as a catalytic partner for Academy of Hope (AoH), supporting its evolution from a grassroots nonprofit into a leading adult public charter school in DC. Most recently, JBRF played a pivotal role in launching AoH’s Healthcare Program as part of the Hope Forward post-graduate transition initiative. Their partnership goes beyond funding, embodying a collaborative model that transforms lives and leads to economic mobility.
Mirvlyne Brice
Whitman-Walker Health (WWH) proudly partnered with the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation (JBRF) and Black Women Thriving East of the River in 2022 to identify the breadth and depth of patient navigation services for D.C. residents coping with cancer through a critical landscape analysis… excited to continue our vital work with JBRF in 2025 and beyond…
Amie Krautwurst
Since 2019, JBRF’s support for our workforce development, cancer navigation, health-career scholarships, and advocacy efforts has helped us build pathways to opportunity and health equity for Black women in Wards 7 and 8. JBRF’s belief in our vision has made it possible to lead boldly, with authenticity and rigor—and to demonstrate what’s possible when Black women drive the solutions.
Nakeisha Neal Jones
JBRF is a true partner in the DC Primary Care Association’s work to advance health access and outcomes in the District of Columbia… They are not intimidated by the complexity or scale of the task…. only driven by the urgency to create lasting change. We are honored to work alongside them and grateful for their principled, persistent partnership.
Ruth Pollard
Since 2013, JBRF has served as a catalytic partner for Academy of Hope (AoH), supporting its evolution from a grassroots nonprofit into a leading adult public charter school in DC. Most recently, JBRF played a pivotal role in launching AoH’s Healthcare Program as part of the Hope Forward post-graduate transition initiative. Their partnership goes beyond funding, embodying a collaborative model that transforms lives and leads to economic mobility.
Mirvlyne Brice
Whitman-Walker Health (WWH) proudly partnered with the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation (JBRF) and Black Women Thriving East of the River in 2022 to identify the breadth and depth of patient navigation services for D.C. residents coping with cancer through a critical landscape analysis… excited to continue our vital work with JBRF in 2025 and beyond…
Amie Krautwurst
Since 2019, JBRF’s support for our workforce development, cancer navigation, health-career scholarships, and advocacy efforts has helped us build pathways to opportunity and health equity for Black women in Wards 7 and 8. JBRF’s belief in our vision has made it possible to lead boldly, with authenticity and rigor—and to demonstrate what’s possible when Black women drive the solutions.
Nakeisha Neal Jones
JBRF is a true partner in the DC Primary Care Association’s work to advance health access and outcomes in the District of Columbia… They are not intimidated by the complexity or scale of the task…. only driven by the urgency to create lasting change. We are honored to work alongside them and grateful for their principled, persistent partnership.
Ruth Pollard
Since 2013, JBRF has served as a catalytic partner for Academy of Hope (AoH), supporting its evolution from a grassroots nonprofit into a leading adult public charter school in DC. Most recently, JBRF played a pivotal role in launching AoH’s Healthcare Program as part of the Hope Forward post-graduate transition initiative. Their partnership goes beyond funding, embodying a collaborative model that transforms lives and leads to economic mobility.
Mirvlyne Brice
Whitman-Walker Health (WWH) proudly partnered with the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation (JBRF) and Black Women Thriving East of the River in 2022 to identify the breadth and depth of patient navigation services for D.C. residents coping with cancer through a critical landscape analysis… excited to continue our vital work with JBRF in 2025 and beyond…
Amie Krautwurst
Since 2019, JBRF’s support for our workforce development, cancer navigation, health-career scholarships, and advocacy efforts has helped us build pathways to opportunity and health equity for Black women in Wards 7 and 8. JBRF’s belief in our vision has made it possible to lead boldly, with authenticity and rigor—and to demonstrate what’s possible when Black women drive the solutions.
Nakeisha Neal Jones
Who We Support
Black Women Thriving East of the River (BWTEotR)
BWTEotR began in 2019 as an initiative of JBRF. Our foundation worked in deep partnership with Black women and community leaders in Wards 7 and 8 to address inequities in workforce development and cancer outcomes.
JBRF provided critical funding, guided the design process, and ultimately hired the organization’s executive director Nakeisha Neal Jones in 2023, setting BWTEotR up for long-term success. Now, BWTEotR operates independently and continues its mission to ensure Black women in Wards 7 and 8 have equitable access to opportunities, resources, and high-quality health care so they can truly thrive.
Academy of Hope (AoH)
The pilot phase of Hope Forward, a multi-year employment transition program, helps AoH graduates from their Certified Nursing Assistant and Phlebotomy Technician certificate programs build health care careers at Sibley Memorial Hospital and other premier health care facilities in Washington, D.C. AoH received a $442,520 grant over two years to create pipeline for 25 adult learners — primarily Black women and East of the Anacostia River residents — through career coaching, job readiness, and ongoing support upon employment.
Sustainable Financing for Cancer Navigation
The Sustainable Financing for Cancer Navigation (SFN) pilot program, in partnership with Black Women Thriving East of the Anacostia River, Whitman-Walker Health, and QV Health Solutions, addresses cancer outcome inequities. Beginning at the point of an abnormal finding, the program provides tailored navigation and comprehensive resources for Black women in Wards 7 and 8. It swiftly connects them to necessary follow-up diagnostics, treatment, and other care options, addressing both medical and socioeconomic needs. This equity-focused approach seeks to create a more humanizing experience with scalable and sustainable financing.