HartAR12_logo300Thirty years is a very long time, especially when one is in a committed relationship.

Most marriages now-a-days don’t even last that long. According to one of the definitions in Webster’s New World Second College Edition Dictionary, a commitment is “a pledge or promise to do something.” That definition pretty much sums up the John A. Hartford Foundation’s work over the past 30 years in trying to improve the health care of older adults here in the United States.

More than three decades ago, the Foundation was in transition, trying to find the next big area to fund that would “do the greatest good for the greatest number,” a philosophy adopted by John A. Hartford, his brother George L. Hartford, and the Trustees of the Foundation charged with seeing this vision to fruition.

Over the 25 years prior to beginning its work in geriatric health care, the Foundation was very much involved in supporting bio-medical research and innovations, a field that had not yet caught the attention of the federal government or its funding apparatuses. Starting in the 1970s, a combination of factors—not the least of which were the economy, the tumble in A&P stock, and the increased interest in federal agencies funding the same work—forced the Foundation to shift gears and look for the next great need in American society.

As with all changes in direction, great thought had to be given as to what that might be. With the baby-boom generation hitting its stride and entering middle age, Trustees and staff alike looked ahead and saw an impending need for geriatric health care and education that could one day benefit the boomers and other cohorts as they turned 65 and began to retire.

That was in 1982, and for more than three decades, the Foundation has stuck with it and is still in the game. The field of geriatric health care has changed for the better. It has grown tremendously, gaining new interest in the field with practitioners, funding partners, and political allies.

To celebrate this achievement in grantmaking, the Foundation’s 2012 annual report documents these accomplishments and acknowledges the hard work and dedication by all the Trustees, Foundation staff, and grantees who have been a part of this movement over the past 30 years. All of us at the Foundation are very proud of this enormously important work and are eager to share with you not only these accomplishments, but also the future of Hartford Foundation grantmaking in this field in the years to come.

The annual report will be presented in three formats. To receive a printed copy, please send an email to annualreport@jhartfound.org with your name, address, and the year you are requesting. Or you may view a PDF of the report at our on-line Annual Reports page, along with PDFs of other annual reports dating back to 1999. In addition, we are creating a mini-website where you will soon be able to view a more interactive version of the report online.

The John A. Hartford Foundation staff and Trustees are proud to present its 2012 annual report, “Celebrating Thirty Years of Aging and Health.” We can’t wait to see what the next 30 years bring. We’d also like to hear what you think and welcome your comments about this annual report or about any of the work that the Foundation and its grantees have done over the past 30 years.