The Commonwealth Fund was established in 1918 with the broad charge to enhance the common good. Its founder, Anna M. Harkness, is among the first women to start a private foundation.
Today, the mission of the Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high-performing, equitable health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including people of color, people with low income, and those who are uninsured.
We take great pride in our team and strive to create a collegial, inclusive environment. We look for talented people with curious minds who are inspired by the Fund’s mission.
As a community of individuals seeking to improve health care policy and practice through evidence-based research, we encourage all our staff to contribute to this work, regardless of title or tenure. We consider diversity of experience and perspective essential to our success. And while we take our work seriously, we also like to spend time getting to know one another on a personal and social level, too.
Where We Work
The Commonwealth Fund has offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. Our headquarters are located in the historic home of the Harkness family, Harkness House, a landmark building on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Recent renovations make our home office more accessible, inviting, and inclusive.
Our Washington, D.C., office, near the White House, is home to our Federal and State Health Policy, Medicaid, and Medicare program teams, as well as other staff.
As of July 2022, the Commonwealth Fund has a hybrid work policy that allows staff the flexibility to work from home while providing ample opportunities for valuable in-person collaboration and convening.
How We Recruit
The Commonwealth Fund values diversity, believing it to be an essential quality of an effective organization. As part of our commitment to becoming an antiracist organization, we seek to recruit and retain people from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds.
We continue to evaluate our recruiting and hiring practices to ensure we honor our commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Our Benefits
Commonwealth Fund employees receive competitive salaries and a generous benefit package designed to support their overall well-being. We also strive to create a diverse and inclusive workplace in line with our values and goals. The Fund conducts annual benchmarking studies to ensure we continue to meet these goals.
Employee benefits include:
- Best-in-class health care plan with comprehensive medical, hospital, and prescription drug coverage, along with a health reimbursement account, provided at no cost to employees and their dependents; vision coverage provided at nominal cost
- 403(b) retirement plan featuring generous employer contributions that range from 11 percent to 20 percent of annual salary
- Retiree health benefits
- Tuition reimbursement and professional development support
- Generous time off to support employee work–life balance
- Flexible hybrid work policy, with staff eligible to work remotely up to three days per week
- Half-day summer Fridays
- Comprehensive parental leave policies, with up to 12 weeks’ salary continuance
- Generous matching gifts program for charitable donations
- Disability and life insurance coverage at no cost
- Employee assistance and referral programs