Asset Funders Network: Investing in Small Business Leaders to Promote Health and Wealth

Increasingly, research shows that wealth is associated with improved health outcomes across a variety of indicators. People with more assets live longer, have lower rates of chronic disease and have better mental health. So it would make sense for funders and philanthropic actors focused on improving health to be mindful of how they can also seek to increase wealth. Indeed, foundations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have begun to incorporate more of a focus on financial security into their efforts to promote advance health and equity. Yet, one critical constituency has traditionally been overlooked by those who work to improve health and wealth outcomes across the country despite their strong link to wealth, especially for communities of color. That constituency is small business owners.