The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has announced a $1.7 million grant to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in support of an initiative to engage the American business community in thinking about the relationship between health and economic opportunity.

The grant will enable the Chamber Foundation to launch the Better Health Through Economic Opportunity campaign, a two-year initiative aimed at fostering both a national and local dialogues on the role business can play in promoting better community health. To be managed by the Chamber Foundation's Corporate Citizenship Center, the campaign will feature a research project on the connection between health and economic growth, toolkits to help local businesses shape a healthy future for their communities, a national summit in 2016, and forums hosted at regional chambers of commerce in ten communities across the country, including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, and the Fort Worth Chamber.

"The private sector holds tremendous potential for building a Culture of Health in America," said RWJF president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey. "I can't think of a better partner than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to engage the American business community in this important movement to expand economic opportunities that drive better health."