About Wellville

Wellville was a 10-year national nonprofit project to cultivate equitable wellbeing. Esther Dyson and Rick Brush co-launched Wellville in 2014, and it ended in 2024. 

At the center of our work were the Wellville 5: Five US communities working to improve their own health and wellbeing and inspiring other communities to do the same. 

Bruce Spoelman at Camp Pendalouan

Our Mission

Equitable wellbeing happens when everyone has a fair and just opportunity to construct a life well-lived and contribute to our common good. Short-term thinking does the opposite, because people, institutions and systems pit their immediate self-interest over the long-term, equitable wellbeing of all.

To address these issues, we worked towards two major outcomes:

  • Improve Equitable Wellbeing: Wellville supported five US communities (the “W5”) as they improved equitable wellbeing through effective, shared investments that have long-term benefits for all.
  • Influence National Action: By showcasing evidence and actions in the W5, Wellville influenced how our nation invests in its people, institutions and systems to achieve equitable wellbeing for all Americans for generations to come.
Diagram describing the benefits and impact of equitable wellbeing

Our Approach

Make Mistakes. Try Again.
Wise words! Art by https://www.instagram.com/miki__mu/

Wellville was distinctive in that we didn’t have a set of programs to implement. We didn’t award grants. We didn’t even take the same approach in all of the W5 communities!

To learn more about our approach and impact, read our process evaluation. 

Some of What WE Learned

  1. The heart of the matter is moving from short-term self interest to long-term shared interest. It’s easy to think of examples of individuals, institutions and systems that fall into this trap: Election cycles. Quarterly returns. Philanthropic grants. In contrast, health and equity require that we transform thinking and systems to create long-term outcomes. 
  1. Same same, but different. The W5 communities face many similar challenges, but the solutions need to reflect local circumstances. For example, many of the W5 face a shortage of affordable housing, but the underlying systems causing these shortages – and the local partners and assets working to solve it – are unique to each community. 
  1. Relationships and trust matter. A lot. There can be no true, long-term collaboration without trust. Among institutions. Among residents. Between residents and institutions. But once trust is established, collaboration capacity skyrockets.
  1. We must continuously emphasize the value of the W5’s work – the outcomes that have value to the whole community. For example, North Hartford is focused on creating a healthier food system. That will be beneficial to existing residents and make the area more attractive to potential new residents. Nutrition-related disease and food insecurity will decrease, which has value to institutions like healthcare systems, employers, schools, and the criminal justice system.
  1. The enabling environment – state and local policies, laws and customs – is critical. Working in 5 states allows us to see this, because each state offers a different environment: California’s MediCal system works very differently from Connecticut’s Medicaid system, which is mostly fee-for-service. 
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