The Commonwealth Fund

The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that was founded in 1918 by Anna Harkness with the mandate that it should “do something for the welfare of mankind.”  The foundation aims to promote a high performing health care system that has better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, children, and the elderly.  It accomplishes these goals by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy.  The Fund’s healthcare surveys, scorecards, website, and publications program make the foundation a major information resource for improving health systems, domestically and internationally.