FAQ: CHR&R program status and funding

At County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R), the beginning of 2026 is bittersweet. Because funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will end this December, we know that 2026 will be the last year that CHR&R exists in its current form with a full suite of data-to-action resources. We are seeking new funding, and we hope this will result in continued creative, impactful work that supports community power-building and change for health and equity.

In the meantime, you may be wondering what our funding loss means for your work and community. We are sharing details on the products and support you can expect from CHR&R in 2026, based on our current understanding of funding and staff capacity. We’ll share updates via our newsletter as they become available.

1. Will the website remain available or be taken down?
   The CHR&R website will stay up through December 2026. If we identify new funding, this timeline may be extended.

   We encourage users to download datasets and technical documentation available on our website before the end of the year. Users can export Health Snapshots for any state or county using the print button in the upper right of the snapshot pages. Within the snapshots, users can download measure-specific trend graphs and maps. Users can export specific measure descriptions and methods navigating from the interactive model page and using the print button.

2. Will there be an Annual Data Release in 2026 or future years?
   No, the 2025 Annual Release was CHR&R’s final annual release.

   Historically, CHR&R has released new datasets of over 80 measures for nearly every county in the nation once a year. We have moved outside of this annual cycle to provide updated data when available. In September 2025, we released updated data for some clinical measures, including primary care physicians and mental health providers. In November 2025, we updated 12 measures related to county-level mortality.

   We aim to release a final update for a subset of measures in March 2026. We will include as many measures as possible, depending on data availability and staffing.

3. Will CHR&R release a National Findings Report? Updated Health Groups? New or updated What Works for Health strategies? 
   In 2025, CHR&R released a report highlighting the role that power and societal rules play in shaping conditions that drive health and well-being. CHR&R will not produce a National Findings Report this year. However, we plan to produce a “data spotlight” focused on mortality data in February 2026.

   We will not update Health Groups (formerly “Rankings”). We will update select What Works for Health Strategies through July 2026.

4. What if I have questions about your data or would like to request support? 
   Please reach out to our General Inbox. We have reduced staff capacity to field data questions and requests for analytic support. Our response time may be longer, and we may not be able to support all data requests.

   We provide detailed information about our current methodology in our Technical Document and on our measure methods webpages that may answer your questions.

5. Where can I find materials on narrative change? 
   Narratives for Health guides and action resources are available on the CHR&R website. We will transfer resources to Health in Partnership’s website in 2026.

   Narratives for Health is hosting three workshops for people who have participated in a Train-the-Facilitator series. Please contact [email protected] for more information and/or questions.

6. What actions can I take to support CHR&R and its staff?
   We have appreciated inquiries about how organizations and individuals can support the program and staff this year. Here are some specific actions you can take:
   • Keep doing great work! We are grateful for all those in public health, health care, and other fields committed to achieving health and equity. The work you do at the state and local level is more important and impactful than ever.
   • Share updates with partners: We know that many local and state public health organizations — and their partners — rely on CHR&R resources. We encourage you to share program updates so that users can access and download data and other resources before December 2026.
   • Circulate job postings: Our staff are actively seeking new positions. If you are hiring — or see positions that you think fit CHR&R staff interests and skillsets — we appreciate you sharing information with us! Please send job posts or opportunities to [email protected].
   • Share funding ideas or leads: We welcome conversation with you about potential funding sources and needs in the fields created by the loss of CHR&R resources. We are exploring a multi-funder strategy to preserve a subset of data, evidence and narrative assets. If you’d like to discuss new funding opportunities, please reach out to our co-directors, Bethany Rogerson and Michael Stevenson.
   • Provide feedback: We remain committed to learning from and with you as we consider options for archiving, adapting and transferring CHR&R data, strategies and other resources. We may reach out for your engagement in brainstorming, feedback or testing sessions.
7. Where can I find similar resources to those CHR&R provides?
   We are not aware of other websites that provide the same county-level data, sense-making and to-action resources. There are several other data dashboards and evidence resource that may be of interest:
   • America’s Health Rankings
   • Berkeley Media Studies Group
   • Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development
   • CDC WONDER
   • Childhood Opportunity Index
   • City Health Dashboard
   • Congressional Health Dashboard
   • Economic Mobility Catalog
   • FrameWorks Institute
   • Health in Partnership
   • Narrative Initiative
   • National Equity Atlas
   • PLACES
   • Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center
   • Social Programs that Work