NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Miami, FL, August 2, 2025: The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced funding support for The Together Project, a new national initiative launched by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy to address the growing crisis of loneliness and social isolation in the United States.
Founded earlier this year, The Together Project seeks to prioritize human connection and community building across the country. Dr. Murthy, who will serve as the project’s chair, has long championed this issue, calling loneliness a public health concern with serious physical and mental health implications.
Murthy first raised national awareness about the dangers of isolation during his initial term as Surgeon General from 2014 to 2017 and explored the topic in his 2020 book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. In his second term, he issued the 2023 Surgeon General’s Advisory on the epidemic of loneliness and followed it with the 2025 Parting Prescription for America, which urged Americans to seek fulfillment through stronger community ties.
Born in England to Indian parents from Karnataka and raised in Miami, Florida, Dr. Murthy became the first Indian American to serve as Surgeon General when he was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014. His upbringing in an immigrant household—where community bonds were central to family life—has shaped his conviction that connection is fundamental to personal and societal well-being.
According to the Knight Foundation’s announcement, Murthy will embark on a national listening tour and series of community engagements to lift up solutions that foster connection, reduce isolation and build social cohesion. These events will spotlight successful, scalable models to help communities thrive.
The Knight Foundation, known for its investments in journalism, arts, and public spaces, is The Together Project’s first major philanthropic partner. “Connection and community are essential to a thriving democracy,” said Knight Foundation President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth. “This is a bold and timely effort to confront the epidemic of disconnection and strengthen our civic fabric.”
The Together Project aims to become a national platform to promote solutions that can be replicated across diverse communities. More information about the initiative is available at Together-Project.org.
Dr. Vivek Murthy’s photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
