George Washington University has announced a $7 million grant from the RCHN Community Health Foundation in support of the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Established in 2004 and named in honor of H. Jack Geiger and Count Gibson, pioneers in health and human rights and founders of the community health center movement, the program works to eliminate medical underservice and disparities in population health and health care and improve health and health care for all persons. The gift from RCHN CHF, which has supported the Geiger Gibson/RCHN Community Health Foundation Research Collaborative since 2007, is one of three final major gifts it is awarding as a private foundation.

The grant will build on and expand the program’s existing scope of work, providing support for the Geiger Gibson Health Policy Fellows program, Emerging Leaders and Distinguished Visitors awards and recognition programs, collaborations with the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, cutting-edge scholarship in the areas of health equity and law, and an expanded focus on community health and equity within the department’s Master of Health Administration programs.

"This gift from the RCHN Community Health Foundation comes at a critical time in education, community health, and policy making," said Lynn R. Goldman, the Michael and Lori Milken Dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health. "It will allow us to preserve and grow the multi-faceted academic and research initiatives that have been a hallmark of the Geiger Gibson Program."

"The foundation has had a robust voice through our policy research, grantmaking, and investment in on-the-ground initiatives to improve health and health care," said RCHN CHF president and CEO Feygele Jacobs. "We’ve had the remarkable privilege to do this work, and this gift to GW, along with our other major gifts, will underscore our legacy and build on our investment at a crucial time for community health."