The Cities of Opportunity initiative operates on a core belief: where you live shouldn’t determine how healthy you are or how long you live.
The Cities of Opportunity’s portfolio of programs positions city leaders to assume their critical role as health leaders. Cities of Opportunity meets city leaders where they are, enabling them to address factors impacting health and racial equity, and empowering them with data to drive decision-making that directly addresses health disparities in their communities.
Cities of Opportunity builds city capacity to make progress on their most important health and equity issues while laying the foundation for long-term changes in policies, practices, systems and structures. This is rooted in the Capacities for Action, seven core capacities that drive city action across the interconnected factors that affect health, well-being, and life expectancy.
The Cities of Opportunity Capacities for Action
- Race and Equity
- Strategic Data Capacity
- Comprehensive Policy Agendas
- Effective Multi-Sector Partnerships
- Increased and Diversified Funding
- Authentic Community Engagement
- Internal Alignment
“If we want a healthy community, we have to make decisions around the built environment, and Cities of Opportunity is serving as a foundation for pulling the resources together in our community and building that ecosystem to have important conversations and be strategic in how we move forward in creating health equity and reinvesting in our communities.”
– Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard, Mount Vernon, NY
Cities of Opportunity Programs
In 2025, Cities of Opportunity will launch five new ways for you and your city to become a City of Opportunity. Click on the arrows to read more.
1. Governing for Health & Wellbeing in Cities 101: Launching in January 2025!
Rooted in the belief that city leaders are health leaders, this self-directed, online course introduces the critical role that cities play in advancing health, equity and wellbeing. City leaders, staff and elected officials will gain insights into how they can impact health equity in their role, the capacities it takes to make change, and draw insights from real world examples shared by their peers.
2. The Capacities Workshop Series: Registration opens January 2025!
These workshops focus on the Cities of Opportunity Capacities for Action and provide cities with essential knowledge, skills and tools for effective health equity work. Each workshop has two parts and features expert perspectives, city examples, and peer-to-peer discussion. Don’t miss out on these transformative workshops. Attend one, or both!
- Cross Departmental Alignment: Taking place in March 2025, this workshop will explore strategies for fostering trust and collaboration across departments. Participants will learn practical techniques to increase information sharing and streamline effective planning.
- Diversified Funding: To transform health equity and wellbeing, cities need robust funding strategies. Coming in April 2025, this workshop will equip cities with the knowledge and tools needed to deploy a diverse range of funding mechanisms and secure flexible financing for innovative solutions.
3. The Action Cohort for Equitable Wellbeing: RFP release April 2025!
To advance equitable wellbeing, the Action Cohort guides city teams through a proven framework that begins with root cause analysis of inequities and aligns this with city capacities for action. Mayors and city executives will have access to an exclusive Leadership Track to catalyze their role as health leaders.
4. The Community Engagement Academy: RFP release April 2025!
For cities seeking to take their community engagement to the next level, this intensive cohort will guide city teams in developing strategies that foster intentional and authentic connections with residents. Through this transformative process, cities will reimagine how they work with residents most impacted by inequities.
5. Cities of Opportunity Alumni Forums
For anyone participating in these programs, you will have access to the Cities of Opportunity Alumni Forums. Exclusively offered to current Cities of Opportunity participants and alumni, these quarterly forums provide a platform for peer-to-peer dialogue around cities’ most pressing issues related to health, equity and wellbeing.
City leaders are making transformative changes in health and wellbeing in their communities. This evaluation highlights how, through their participation in Cities of Opportunity, cities are leading the way for health transformation.
Past Programs
Cities of Opportunity Mayors’
Institute
Cities of Opportunity Action
Cohort
Cities of Opportunity Learning
Labs
Cities of Opportunity Solutions
Forum
Cities of Opportunity Policy and Systems Change Academy
The Cities of Opportunity initiative is made possible by the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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