ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION INC
Every child deserves a healthy future
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We believe all young people deserve a chance to live healthier lives. But today in the United States, not all kids have the same opportunity for a healthy future. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 children (ages 2-19) is overweight or obese, putting them at risk for serious health problems. Nearly 25 percent of children (ages 2-8) have a chronic health condition, including asthma, and only 1 out of 3 is physically active each day. We know that a child’s health, both physical and emotional, influences his or her ability to succeed. That’s why we’re committed to ensuring that the places children learn, live, and play provide and promote good health.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Healthy Schools Program
Every child deserves a healthy school. Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program strives to make this vision a reality by guiding schools to create and sustain healthier learning environments where students, especially those in greatest need, can thrive. Each day, more than 95 percent of school-aged kids and teens attend school, making it an ideal place to help them develop lifelong healthy habits. Healthy students perform better academically, attend school more often and behave better in class. Our approach is rooted in science and delivered with care—from a robust virtual platform and direct service to schools and districts. Through Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program, more children nationwide are gaining the opportunity to build a healthy future.
Health Out-of-School Time Initiative
For the 10.2 million children who attend afterschool programs, time outside the home is a critical avenue to develop healthy habits and social and emotional skills for themselves and their families. Healthier Generation’s Healthy-Out-of-School Time Initiative supports afterschool program leaders in creating healthy environments that help kids eat better and move more in ways that support their social, emotional and academic development. Healthier Generation, guided by the latest research and learnings from communities, encourages staff, children and families to work together to create and sustain healthy out-of-school time settings to help all children thrive.
Business Sector Engagement
When it comes to improving children’s health, we believe that everyone has a role to play. Leveraging our public health expertise, Healthier Generation collaborates with some of the biggest names in industry and public health to develop innovative strategies that shape supply, improve access, and create demand for healthier options. The results are clear, and the numbers point to one powerful conclusion: data-driven rigorous collaborations between the non-profit and corporate sectors can have a profoundly positive impact on the health of children and families.
Where we work
Awards
2010 Top Non-Profit 2010
Philanthropedia
External reviews
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The goal of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices. We work with schools, companies, community organizations, healthcare professionals and families to transform the conditions and systems that lead to healthier kids.
Each child’s environment is our focus. The places children spend their time are the places that determine their behaviors. We believe that if we can empower the people who influence these environments by giving them easy access to science-based resources and best practices, we can create a movement that transforms the places kids spend their time into healthy environments that encourage the healthiest lifestyles.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Alliance works on three initiatives to reach it's goal of reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity:
The Industry Initiative brokers voluntary agreements with leading companies that increase children’s access to healthcare, healthier foods and beverages and physical activity.
The Healthy Schools Program (HSP) supports more than 29,000 schools across the country to create healthier school environments that promote nutritious eating and physical activity and recognizes those schools that succeed.
The Healthy Out-of-School Time initiative supports out-of-school time providers with a science-based framework designed to create environments where youth are encouraged to eat healthier and move more.
The end goal of this multi-sectorial approach is to hasten a tipping point where healthier environments – in homes, schools, and across the community – are the norm and not the exception in this country.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is uniquely positioned to reach and impact diverse communities across the United States. Recognized as a leader in the children’s health space, the Alliance partners with a number of organizations, both local and national in scope, including, but not limited to, Let’s Move! Active Schools and Partnership for a Healthier America to support our progress towards reducing the prevalence of childhood obesity.
The Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program is the only national program that provides training and technical assistance directly to schools on comprehensive health systems change and it’s the only national recognition program of its kind. Independent evaluation of the HSP has confirmed that the Healthy Schools Program hastens policy and program change, as well as student behavior change. To ensure that its schools have access to all of the resources necessary to be successful, the Alliance has developed strategic relationships with more than 100 organizations working in the school health space.
The Healthy Out-of-School Time Initiative works with more than 6,300 out-of-school time sites. Alliance out-of-school time experts contributed to the development of the Healthy Out-of-School Time Coalition Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards (HEPAS), adopted by the National AfterSchool Association in Spring 2011. Current collaborations within the afterschool health space include the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, the YMCA of the USA, the National AfterSchool Association, the Forum for Youth Investment, the Afterschool Alliance, and the National Summer Learning Association. In addition, state and local collaborations are critical to the successful implementation of the HOST Framework intervention.
Through the Alliance’s Industry Initiatives, the Alliance works collaboratively with food and beverage companies, health insurance companies, employers and businesses to improve access to healthier foods and beverages and healthcare. The Alliance has partnered with businesses such as the American Beverage Association, Coca Cola, Dr Pepper, PepsiCo, Campbell’s, Dannon, Kraft, Blue Cross of North Carolina, Aetna, Accenture and WellPoint through voluntary agreements to ensure children have access to the prevention and treatment of childhood obeisty and healthier food and beverage options.
The Alliance’s functions as a national organization with strategically located field offices. This structure allows for the Alliance to target its programs and services in the highest-need communities.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have changed the way kids eat. In the last ten years, the Alliance has been a trailblazer in changing the landscape of nutrition before, during and after the school day. Today, American children are eating less burgers and French fries, drinking less full-fat milk, and reducing their intake of sugar sweetened beverages.
Through groundbreaking agreements with the food and beverage industry, paving the way for national nutrition standards in school and providing the easy-to-use tools for schools and communities to improve access to healthier options—we have changed nutrition for children across the country.
- The Alliance negotiated an agreement with the beverage industry that resulted in a 90% reduction in beverage calories being shipped to the nation’s schools.
- The Alliance also negotiated agreements with food manufacturers and group purchasing organizations that have made healthier food choices more available and affordable for schools. Total sales of healthier products to participating schools has increased by $130 million, or 71 percent.
- Nutrition standards established by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program and the voluntary agreements with food and beverage companies guided the development and adoption of strong federal nutrition standards for school meals and snacks.
- Through its online tools, professional development activities, and hands-on technical assistance, the Alliance has been the leading non-governmental organization helping the nation’s schools implement the new federal school nutrition standards.
- The CDC published in Preventing Chronic Disease a study, which found that meaningful participation in the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program is linked to reductions in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among students in high-need schools.
The more that schools engaged with the Healthy Schools Program, and the longer they engaged, the greater reductions they saw in student rates of obesity.
- The Alliance negotiated an unprecedented commitment from McDonald’s to increase their provision and marketing of fruits, vegetables, and healthier beverages —including removing soda as an offering on Happy Meal menu boards. Shortly after, other fast-food giants followed suit and removed soda as an option on their kids’ meal menus. After the first year of implementation, we saw an eight percentage point decrease in soda selected with a Happy Meal and in increase in healthier options being offered in restaurants— including 21 million more low-fat and fat-free milk jugs and 100% apple juice boxes being purchased.
- Most recently, the Alliance worked with representatives from American Beverage Association, The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PepsiCo to announce a new landmark agreement to decrease beverage calories in the America
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
ALLIANCE FOR A HEALTHIER GENERATION INC
Board of directorsas of 02/11/2022
David Josserand
Central & North Florida Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association
Bruce Lindsey
Clinton Foundation
William J Bryant
Dominick Feld Hyde, P.C.
David Faxon
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Nancy Brown
American Heart Association
Trooper Sanders
Hello Wallet; Wise Wisper
Nancy Brown
American Heart Association
Trooper Sanders
Hello Wallet; Wise Wisper
Rica Rodman Orszag
Wasserman Foundation
Rica Rodman Orszag
Wasserman Foundation
Mary Beth Donahue
Angela Moskow
Milken Institute for Public Health
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes