ACHIEVE Communities

CDC's ACHIEVE communities (Action Communities for Health, Innovation, and EnVironmental changE) develop and implement policy, systems, and environmental change strategies that can help prevent or manage health-risk factors for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, obesity, and arthritis. CDC provides funds to selected national organizations, which provide technical support and funds to selected communities. Through this funding mechanism, ACHIEVE communities are able to capitalize on the experience and expertise of national organizations in strengthening community leadership, building capacity, and activating change.

Funded organizations will help to build healthy communities and eliminate health disparities by developing and disseminating tools, models, activities, and strategies for collaborating with a broad cross-section of partners. Specific activities will be directed toward reducing tobacco use and exposure, promoting physical activity and healthy eating, and improving access to consistent, high-quality preventive health services.

CDC’s Healthy Communities Program provides funding and technical assistance to selected national organizations in two categories: (A) community funding and (B) translation and dissemination.

• Category A recipients are the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, the National Recreation and Park Association, and the YMCA of the USA. Category A organizations select communities to fund; promote the implementation of needed health policy, systems, and environmental change strategies; review and approve community action plans and provide technical assistance; and identify nontraditional partners who can provide additional technical assistance.
• Category B recipients are the National Association of County and City Health Officials and the Society for Public Health Education. Category B organizations will develop health promotion tools and resources and provide effective policy, systems, and environmental change strategies to communities, with a specific emphasis on the following activities: building leadership; disseminating effective tools, resources, and community-based models; promoting electronic communications; providing technical assistance; developing policy-related products; and creating training opportunities.

In January 2008, 10 initial communities were jointly selected by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors and the YMCA of the USA to pilot the ACHIEVE model in its first year. During the next 5 years beginning in 2009, the four national organizations in Category A will individually select and fund approximately 40 new communities each year (10 per organization) for 3-year periods for a total of at least 200 ACHIEVE communities. In March 2009, 43 communities were selected to join ACHIEVE; a press release (PDF–131KB) announcing the 2009 selection is available. A list and a map of all 53 ACHIEVE communities are also available.


Learn more about the ACHIEVE communities and their activities.

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