What We Do

At Wagner, we strive for healthier communities by investing in and accompanying organizations in the United States and around the world dedicated to health equity, economic wellbeing, and the transformative power of art & culture. We work within these three distinct but interconnected areas to address root causes, expand understanding of societal challenges, and broaden mindsets of what solutions are possible to ultimately help drive change that leads to a more just, vibrant, and healthy world. We collaborate with organizations working to improve ​​health equity by strengthening healthcare delivery and systems and tackling the underlying social drivers that impact health. We fund initiatives designed to foster inclusive economies that provide everyone with the opportunity to achieve ​​economic wellbeing. And our work in ​​art & culture aims to nurture a contemporary arts ecosystem that cultivates empathy, healing, and a more caring and healthy society.

Our Focus Areas

Two people view a wooden canoe sculpture on display in an art gallery, with a colorful map of the United States on the wall behind it and framed artworks on the surrounding white walls.
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’s works from Counterpublic 2023, “State Names Map: Cahokia” and “Trade Canoe: Cahokia”, on view at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Photo: Roy Uptain, courtesy of Counterpublic
A smiling woman wearing a headscarf and t-shirt kneels next to black crates, surrounded by bunches of green plantains, in a lush banana plantation.
A farmer working with the nonprofit Acceso, a Wagner Foundation partner, harvests plantains in Colombia. Photo: Fernanda Pineda, courtesy of Acceso
A medical team speaks with a woman and her baby in a hospital ward. Two healthcare workers, one in a white coat, hold a chart while talking to the patient and another woman, likely a visitor or social worker, standing nearby.
Dr. Martha Masamba, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS) OB/GYN Consultant (in black jacket), observing medical students as they review a patient at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Malawi. Photo: Seed Global Health
A bearded man and a woman gently hold a baby together. The man looks at the baby with care while the woman supports the baby and smiles softly. Both adults appear attentive and loving.
Accompany Doula Care doula, Laura, with father and baby at postpartum visit. Photo: EmVision Production

How We Work

Accompaniment Approach

To be a truly effective philanthropic partner to the organizations on the front lines of lasting social change, we must build trust, listen, and stay flexible. At Wagner, we embrace a type of partnership that goes beyond simply providing funding and stepping back. Building deep partnerships and placing value on shared learnings along the journey toward systems change drives our approach to giving. Through what’s known as accompaniment, we stay deeply engaged with our grantee partners over the life cycle of the grant, acknowledging the complex challenges they are navigating, and looking to them to identify where we can provide added support as needed.

Learn more about our grantmaking

Abstract art with five rounded squares in various shades of blue and green, and one outlined square. A triangle with an eye forms a fish-like shape, overlapping a dark green square at the bottom right. Pale yellow background.

To make the lasting change that leads to healthier communities, we need to look beyond the symptoms and see the bigger picture. We aim to address the root causes of societal issues, targeting the structures, conditions, and beliefs that create and reinforce inequities. Focusing on changing the conditions that hold problems in place is how we create lasting solutions.

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