With Knight Foundation Support, Dr. Vivek Murthy Launches The Together Project to Combat Loneliness and Rebuild Social Connection

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced funding to support The Together Project, founded in 2025 by the 19th and 21st United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, as a bold vision to prioritize social connection and community building in America.

Dr. Murthy, who will serve as The Together Project’s Chair, has focused on these issues since his first term as Surgeon General of the United States from 2014 to 2017. In his 2020 book, “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World,” Dr. Murthy argued that loneliness is more than just an emotional state: it is a public health concern with significant impacts on physical health. He believes that addressing loneliness is a societal priority and calls on leaders in business, education, healthcare and government to cultivate environments that support community and connection.

During his second term as Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy produced the 2023 Surgeon General’s Advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and isolation and the 2025 Parting Prescription for America, in which he offered as a path to health and fulfillment through community.

The Together Project will serve as a national platform to advance this work, launching with the support of Knight Foundation as its first major philanthropic partner. As a national foundation with deep roots in 26 communities across the United States, Knight brings a unique blend of local insight and national perspective through investments in public spaces, the arts and local news and journalism to help strengthen civic life and support resilient communities. 

“At Knight, we believe connection and community are essential to a thriving democracy. The Together Project is a bold and timely effort to confront the epidemic of disconnection in our country and to elevate the solutions that are already working. We are proud to support this movement to catalyze community and strengthen our civic fabric—because the power to create change isn’t lost, it’s local,” said Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO of Knight Foundation.

With Knight’s support, Dr. Murthy will embark on a national listening tour and series of community engagements aimed at lifting up solutions that foster connection, reduce isolation and build social cohesion. The initiative will spotlight scalable models that help communities thrive and promote their replication across the country. To learn more about The Together Project, visit Together-Project.org.

ABOUT KNIGHT FOUNDATION

We are social investors who support democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once had newspapers. Learn more at www.kf.org.