Novo Nordisk  announced the launch of the Community Health Collaborative, a new initiative to support and expand healthy lifestyle programming in the Trenton, New Jersey area.

The Community Health Collaborative provides grants to local 501c3 organizations pursuing innovative, community-based approaches to improving urban health and wellness. The program’s launch comes off the findings of an in-depth community-needs assessment in which Novo Nordisk identified two priority areas Healthy Lifestyle + Built Environment and Access to Healthy Foods in which to best align the Company’s corporate giving with genuine community needs.

“Our first priority was to identify the critical challenges faced by communities around our US offices, so that we could respond in a way that was not only important to Novo Nordisk, but even more important to our neighbors,” said Diana Blankman, Senior Director, U.S. Corporate Giving & Social Impact. “The need for more support in engendering healthy lifestyles aligns nicely with our own expertise and allows us to make an especially meaningful impact.”

Organizations receiving grants in 2014 span central New Jersey and offer both original and time-tested community-based approaches to promote healthier lifestyles and greater well being in their geographies.

“The Community Health Collaborative is an extension of Novo Nordisk’s Triple Bottom Line, in which we continually work towards financial, social, and environmental responsibility,” said Jesper Hoiland, President, Novo Nordisk Inc. “We are very pleased to use our expertise and financial commitment to provide even greater service to our surrounding communities.”