February 5, 2026
By: Jillian Racoosin Kornmeier, F4SC Executive Director
In 2023, the Foundation for Social Connection played a lead role in the creation of the Surgeon General’s seminal Advisory on social isolation, loneliness, and the healing power of connection. Beyond our contributions through informing and reviewing as the report took shape (I miss our calls Edna!), our Scientific Chair, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad served as the Scientific Editor and was instrumental in developing the National Strategy to Advance Social Connection. While the former U.S. Surgeon General is no longer in office, the National Strategy to Advance Social Connection is far from obsolete. On the contrary, it is living on and gaining strength through our sustained work at the Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC) and a growing ecosystem of partners, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, funders, and community leaders across the country.
The Surgeon General’s Advisory elevated social isolation and loneliness to a national public health priority, and made clear that addressing these conditions would require long-term, coordinated action well beyond any single administration. F4SC is proud to serve as the convener, connector, and accelerator for this ecosystem – ensuring that the strategy’s principles continue to translate into action, collaboration, and measurable progress.
Grounded in the Advisory’s six pillars, the work at F4SC reflects both steadfastness and evolution. We are unwavering in our commitment to advancing social connection as vital to individual and collective wellbeing, and we are adjusting our priorities to be responsive to modern pressures, data-driven insights, and the political landscape.
The six pillars recognize that social disconnection is not simply an individual challenge, but a systemic one rooted in policies, community structures, digital environments, and cultural norms. As an organization deeply committed to fostering connection and well-being, the Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC) embodies these pillars in both philosophy and action. Our efforts span across each area of the Surgeon General’s strategy, bringing visibility, partnerships, and practical tools to the ecosystem dedicated to addressing social isolation, loneliness, and connection (SILC).
Pillar 1. Strengthen Social Infrastructure in Local Communities: The Advisory underscores the vital role of social infrastructure – places, programs, and systems that bring people together – to promote meaningful connections. Last year we continued our technical support for implementation of the Action Guide for Building Socially Connected Communities, and deepened our focus on structural social capital in communities. We developed the Social Capital Framework for Change in partnership with community leaders and social capital researchers. We highlighted places and systems that bring people together in Baltimore, San Antonio, Eureka Springs, Hartford, Minneapolis, and Asheville. Our community initiatives help increase the capacity of local leaders and cultivate conditions where relationships can flourish. We are thrilled to expand our social connection technical assistance program to 10 additional communities this year.
Pillar 2. Enact Pro-Connection Public Policies: A “connection-in-all-policies” mindset is critical to ensure that legislative and regulatory decisions support, rather than hinder, social connection. F4SC works closely with its C4 partner, the Action Network to advocate for evidence-based policies to improve connection. Our Research-to-Policy Framework acts as a tool to coordinate advocacy efforts, organize the latest research, and accelerate evidence-based policy recommendations. For example, we are using this tool to support the adoption of social connection strategies within the Older Americans Act (OAA).
Pillar 3. Mobilize the Health Sector: Health systems and professionals are uniquely positioned to recognize social isolation and loneliness as determinants of health, and respond accordingly. Last year we supported the Department of Veterans Affairs in the development and evaluation of a social prescribing course for medical students. We hear time and again that training is a key piece missing from clinicians feeling confident about talking about loneliness and social isolation with their patients. This year we will begin to evaluate the impact of social prescribing on older adult social, mental and physical health outcomes in Georgia. Additionally, patient-centered measures for social connection lack consensus. Whereas for depression and anxiety there are standardized measures used in clinical settings (i.e., GAD, PHQ9), there is disagreement about the best tools to assess patient disconnection. In March, with support from PCORI, we will host a convening with clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders, to begin to build consensus on patient-centered measures for social connection.
Pillar 4. Reform Digital Environments: The Advisory calls for responsible, pro-connection digital design and standards. F4SC’s engagement in this pillar includes participation in the Inspired Internet Pledge, an initiative of the Digital Wellbeing Lab at Boston Children’s. As a response to the growing need for clear information around GenAI use and implications for social connection, we developed a resource in partnership with youth voice, scientists, and field experts, Navigating Generative AI and Youth Social Connection through Intergenerational Conversation.
Pillar 5. Deepen Our Knowledge: The Surgeon General highlights the need for coordinated research agendas and expanded data collection – and we agree. Last year, our Scientific Leadership Council published a Call to Action in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences to galvanize efforts to employ scientific evidence to design solutions and policies to address social disconnection. In addition, we have released tools and supports to strengthen measurement and evaluation. This year we will build on this progress to develop a multisolver measurement toolkit in partnership with New Pluralists and More in Common.
Pillar 6. Build a Culture of Connection: Beyond structures and policies, connection is sustained by shared values of kindness, respect, service, and commitment that shape how we engage daily. Together, we encourage people and institutions to adopt pro-social values in homes, workplaces, schools, and media. We launched the Corporate Working Group on Social Connection with industry leaders such as the NFL, Spotify, Workday, Evernorth/Cigna, Beiersdorf/Nivea, Match Group, and Signet. We have 70+ ambassadors from across the country sharing evidence-based messages and shifting cultural norms in their local communities. The Social Connection Conference we hosted in late 2025 was an effort to ensure the connectors had a place to connect and learn as well.
Most recently, in an effort to coordinate activities across the field we launched the Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Social Connection (SILC) Ecosystem Map and Report. Created in collaboration with over 55 entities from diverse sectors and geographies, the ecosystem map provides the first visual representation of the U.S. landscape of organizations and efforts addressing SILC. The accompanying State of the Ecosystem Report distills insights into strengths, challenges, and unmet needs, offering a foundation for future research, investment, and action.
Together with our ecosystem partners we are driving forward real change and impact – and of course there is so much more to do. The Surgeon General’s six pillars provide a roadmap for advancing social connection at every turn of our daily lives, and the Foundation for Social Connection is the steward of that plan. We are thrilled to share the SILC Ecosystem Map and Report as a resource to fuel collective progress.
Reach out with any feedback to info@social-connection.org – we’d love to hear from you.