The Challenge

People most affected by particular challenges to health and wellbeing are best positioned to know the true needs, priorities, and aspirations of their families and can help ensure that efforts to address them are rooted in lived experiences.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) established the Family Advisory Committee (FAC) to ensure that a diverse array of voices—represented by 11 parents and caregivers from across the country—are in active dialogue with RWJF about its programming and grantmaking. The FAC provides critical representation and insights about what families need, the strengths they draw from, and what drives them. They also provide input on the changes that are needed to help them thrive, including better access to affordable childcare, housing, and healthy foods, as well as supports for children with disabilities and those in the foster care system. 

Our Approach

Burness developed and carried out a story-sharing project with eight of the members of the FAC. Our aim was to help them share their personal stories with RWJF’s grantees, partners, and other funders and to do so in a way that honored their expertise and experiences. With this project, we sought to encourage others to adopt a similar approach of centering families in their programming to bridge the gap between organizations and the communities they serve.

Our approach was deeply rooted in building authentic, respectful relationships from the start, creating a space where families’ voices would take center stage. Over 14 months, we worked closely with the FAC members and their families, being warmly welcomed into their homes, meeting their relatives and getting an intimate, firsthand view of their lives to produce and share their stories authentically. 

We made it our priority and north star to let the members’ needs, wants and voices guide every decision, ensuring every step of the process was rooted in their and their families’ comfort and preferences. We set clear guiding principles to ensure that each member was portrayed with the respect and dignity they deserved, not as subjects, but as leaders and experts in their own right. In addition to close collaboration on the vision and coordination on reviews and input, each participating member was compensated for their time and expertise.

Results and Impact

Burness helped to create eight feature story videos, a compelling anthem video, and custom-designed illustrations and animations. The videos are showcased on the Every Family Forward website, accompanied by a social toolkit and a blog post that highlights RWJF’s efforts to evolve its approach to supporting families by working with the FAC. 

FAC members and their families expressed appreciation for the care and respect shown throughout our approach, highlighting the empowering nature of the storytelling process. The project helped to develop a narrative that celebrates the individual experiences of the members and highlights the collective wisdom they bring to social change and decision-making. 

Explore the stories, videos, and illustrations on RWJF.org and the Every Family Forward site: