A mother and father smile at their toddler while she eats watermelon.
Economic Inclusion for Family Wellbeing

HEALTHY CHILDREN & FAMILIES

We must begin all of our efforts to transform systems and policies grounded in the question: What is best for children and families? Prioritizing the wellbeing of families and creating a social contract that recognizes people for more than their workforce productivity can help build toward an inclusive economy. Through this kind of transformational change, we can create a brighter future that lifts all children and families. 

A nursing home resident teaches a young boy to play the organ.

A Transformational Vision

At RWJF, we are working to include all families in the economy now and for generations to come. With many allies and partners, we are working toward a new vision—economic inclusion—that prioritizes and serves families. Economic inclusion means overcoming the legacy that undervalues caregivers. It means creating a new social contract that acknowledges our interdependence and recognizes that all families are deserving of wellbeing. That will require institutions to recognize their own responsibility to support the caregivers who are raising the next generation, and to eliminate the structural and systemic barriers that have long excluded and marginalized some families.

A mother and daughter sit together amidst toys and books.

A Glimpse at What's Possible

The COVID-19 pandemic shined new light on the links between health and wellbeing, economic security, and structural racism, illuminating cracks in our political and economic systems in ways our nation can no longer ignore. While far from perfect, the collective policy response showed that we can adopt policies that will improve public health, support economic stability, and advance inclusion.

Reshaping the Tax System

 

Several diverse families emerge from a convoluted maze and approach a simplified tax system of the future.

Blog Post

Reimagining the Tax System to Strengthen Family Wellbeing

Elaine Maag, one of the nation’s foremost experts on tax and fiscal policy, shares strategies to transform our federal tax system to help all families thrive.

5-min read

Economic Inclusion for Family Wellbeing Policy and Law Structural Racism

How the Federal Income Tax System Can Worsen Racial Disparities

Funded by RWJF, this data interactive from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center highlights how some federal income tax policies and audit practices exacerbate inequities in wealth and income.

Explore the interactive

Spotlight: Every Family Forward

Through our project Every Family Forward, RWJF periodically hosts public conversations examining how we can change policies and systems to help all families thrive. Two recent conversations examined how to make equitable shifts to the tax system.

A mother calculating her taxes with a toddler on her lap.

Reshaping the Tax System to Support Family Wellbeing, Part 1

Watch the video
A pregnant woman and her husband preparing their taxes.

Reshaping the Tax System to Support Family Wellbeing, Part 2

Watch the video
Visit EFF's website

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Related News and Insights

Read expert perspectives and the latest research from RWJF to explore the opportunities and complexities of this topic.

Brief
A man holding hands with his children at the top of a scenic overlook.

Scaling Community-Owned Real Estate for Affordable Housing

RWJF seeks to address a community land trusts funding gap with a $5 million investment to the National Housing Trust Community Development Fund (NHT).

5-min read

Economic Inclusion for Family Wellbeing Housing
Brief
A tree-lined street in a suburban neighborhood.F

Making Homeownership More Accessible for People Excluded From Opportunity

RWJF has made a $15,000,000 loan to the Housing Partnership Fund, the lending arm of the Housing Partnership Network, to support efforts to advance homeownership in communities with low incomes.

3-min read

Economic Inclusion for Family Wellbeing Housing
Brief
Three people walking away from a large, teepee-shaped brick building.

Supporting the Indigenous Finance System on the Mountain Plains

An RWJF loan will support the Mountain Plains Regional Native Coalition’s efforts to shift the paradigm of community development finance by creating equitable systems of capital and resource allocation and building resilient Native economies.

4-min read

Economic Inclusion for Family Wellbeing Policy and Law Structural Racism
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