Running head: Robert Wood Johnson

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Robert Wood Johnson Martin (2001) states, foundation grants have long been a major source of funding for human service agencies and programs (p.174). The reading material goes on to say that the United States currently has 44,000 different foundations in operation. Foundation grants are a primary source of funding for human service programs. In 1999 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was number five on the list of the top 10 foundations in the United States with $8.1 billion in assets. Robert Wood Johnson is the founder of Johnson and Johnson Company. The Robert Wood foundation runs off the Johnson and Johnson wealth. The Robert Wood Foundations

main focus is to improve the health and health care of Americans. According to the Robert Wood Foundation website a fundamental premise guides the foundation; we are stewards of private funds that must be used in the public's interest. Our greatest asset isn't our endowment; it's the way we help create leverage for change (About RWJF, para 1). The Robert Wood Foundation is the nations leading philanthropy whose main interest is public health. The foundation works with organizations and diverse groups of people at addressing the root of health problems. The foundation states that For projects to be eligible for funding they must address one of the following program areas (program areas, para.1). The program areas are childhood obesity, coverage, human capital, pioneer, public health, quality/equality, and vulnerable populations. Each program area is unique and the foundation believes needs addressing to help build a healthier America. Each of the seven areas has specific objectives and funding guidelines (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011). Calls for proposals are what the foundation issues to award most of their grants. Calls for proposals (CFP) basically outline all the necessary information grants seekers need to know.

Robert Wood Johnson

CFPs contain background information on the program and grant requirements. Within the CFP, the foundation sets eligibility requirements, the number of grants available, the amount of money each grant is worth, details on how the organization can use the grant, deadlines, and instructions on how to apply. CFPs vary for each of the seven program areas. The foundation intends to award grants that spark new ideas, foster groups of people to work together to act on a problem, and evaluate if ideas from one area will work in another. Companies can apply for more than one grant, but each proposal must be specific to the grant project (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011). The approval process for proposals varies. Sometimes the foundation requires a two-step method. This method requires interested parties to submit a brief proposal and full proposal. The review and approval time for the two-step method is anywhere from four to seven months. If only one proposal is necessary the approval process can take about three to four months. The specific details about grant awarding are found in the CFPs (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011). The foundation strives to fund projects that will have a noticeable and measurable influence. The types of projects the foundation funds bring about transformative changes such as service demonstrations, public education, training, policy analysis, health service research, communication activities, and technical assistance. The foundation does not support projects that focus on end-of-life care, long-term care, and physical activity for adults over 50, and specific chronic conditions not part of the seven primary objectives (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011).The foundation does not award grants to foreign organizations and rarely provides grants to organizations not considered tax-exempt.

Robert Wood Johnson

In 2010 the Robert Wood Johnson foundation gave approximately $300 million in grants to programs and organizations that meet the seven program area requirements. The foundation issues Calls for Proposals throughout the year. Currently the foundation is seeking proposals in the program areas of public health, human capital, childhood obesity, and coverage. The amount of these grants vary and each on has specific guidelines the organization or program must meet and abide by if the foundation awards them a grant (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2011). Robert Wood Johnson was a man who enjoyed dedicating his life to public service. Robert Wood Johnson built the company Johnson and Johnson, which was once a small family business into the world renowned company it is today. The generosity of Robert Wood Johnson lives on today. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is one of the nations largest philanthropies. The main objective of the foundation is to improve the health and health care of all Americans (founder para. 2).

References

Robert Wood Johnson Martin, L. (2001). Financial Management for Human Service Administrators. : Pearson Education Company. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2011). Our Founder. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/about/founder.jsp Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2011). program areas. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/about/pa.jsp