As an independent philanthropy devoted to improving health policy and practice, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation works with a diverse group of dedicated people and organizations to address problems at their roots and to help make a difference on the widest scale—particularly for the most vulnerable among us.

For projects to be eligible for funding they must address one of the following program areas.

Building Human Capital:  We invest in preparing health professionals for leadership; enhancing the skills and careers of frontline health workers; training scholars to conduct health policy research; and encouraging youth to pursue health careers. We aim to boost the diversity of people working in health and health care, to better serve the health needs of a demographically and culturally changing America.

Childhood Obesity:  We want to help all children and families eat well and move more—especially those in communities at highest risk for obesity. Our goal is to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic by 2015 by improving access to affordable, healthy foods and increasing opportunities for physical activity in schools and communities across the nation.

Coverage:  By developing policies and programs to expand health coverage and maximize enrollment in existing coverage programs, we are working to ensure that everyone in America has stable, affordable health care coverage.

Pioneer:  We support innovators whose bold ideas push beyond conventional thinking to explore solutions at the cutting edge of health and health care.

Public Health:  We believe that every American should have the opportunity to be as healthy as he or she can be. And we strive to ensure all Americans have quality public health services and policies that protect, promote and preserve their health, regardless of who they are or where they live.

Quality/Equality:  We are committed to improving the quality of health care for all Americans.

Vulnerable Populations:  By recognizing the critical relationships between our health and where and how we live, work, learn and play, our programs create sensible solutions that allow people to transcend the social barriers that stand in the way to better health.

We support research and evaluation projects in each of our program areas.