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Johnson & Johnson Foundation United States Inc

Annual Giving
$52.5M
Grant Range
$75K - $20.0M
Decision Time
3mo

Johnson & Johnson Foundation United States Inc

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $52,464,104 (2023)
  • Foundation Assets: $168,420,660
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Quarterly decisions (for JJHCS program only)
  • Grant Range: Varies significantly by partnership; examples from $75,000 to multi-million dollar commitments
  • Geographic Focus: Global (operates in Africa, Asia, Europe, Americas with emphasis on underserved communities)
  • Founded: 1953

Contact Details

Johnson & Johnson Foundation US

For Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems (JJHCS) Community Grants:

Overview

The Johnson & Johnson Foundation United States Inc, established in 1953, is a private corporate foundation funded solely by Johnson & Johnson. With assets of over $168 million, the Foundation contributed more than $52 million in grants during 2023. The Foundation's mission is "creating a world without health inequities by closing the gaps between communities and the care they need." Operating alongside Johnson & Johnson Foundation Scotland (founded 2007), the Foundation supports both global and in-country partnerships focusing on health workforce development, particularly nurses and community health workers. In 2019, Johnson & Johnson established the Center for Health Worker Innovation with a $250 million commitment over five years. By 2023, the Foundation had reached 972,800 nurses, midwives, and community health workers, bringing the total to more than 2.28 million health workers supported since 2021.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Global Health Equity Initiatives (Partnership-based, amounts vary)

  • Large-scale strategic investments in health workforce development
  • Recent examples: $20 million total commitment to Africa Frontline First Catalytic Fund; $7 million to Institut de France for WHO Academy
  • Application method: Partnership-based, no public application process

Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems (JJHCS) Community Grants (Amount not specified publicly)

  • Supports organizations in communities with JJHCS locations
  • Eligible areas: Hunterdon, Somerset, and Middlesex Counties (NJ); Duval County (FL); Shelby County (TN); El Paso County (CO); Bristol County (MA); and Kosciusko County (IN)
  • Application method: Quarterly submissions via RFP template to Community Foundation of New Jersey
  • Deadlines: End of January, April, July, and October

U.S. Health Equity Seed Funding ($75,000 grants)

  • Recent recipients include local health innovators: Dion's Chicago Dream (IL), Greater New York City Black Nurses Association (NY), Oben Health (CA), SisterLove, Inc. (GA), and Students Run Philly Style (PA)
  • Application method: Invitation only

Impact Ventures by J&J Foundation (Investment amounts vary)

  • Provides capital to companies and entrepreneurs developing innovations for health equity
  • Focus on solutions for under-resourced patients worldwide

Priority Areas

The Foundation supports programs in the following areas:

Primary Focus:

  • Healthcare workforce development (nurses, midwives, community health workers)
  • Women and children's health
  • Access to essential surgery
  • Global disease challenges through innovative solutions
  • Health equity for underserved communities
  • Disaster relief and product donations

JJHCS Community Grants Focus:

  • Education (higher education; science, math, technology enrichment)
  • Health and social services (basic needs, at-risk youth interventions, healthy lifestyles)
  • Arts & culture (access for disadvantaged or marginalized populations)
  • Veterans causes
  • Environment & sustainability

What They Don't Fund

JJHCS Community Grants Exclusions:

  • Therapeutic area-aligned events
  • Unrestricted funds
  • Individual scholarships or loans
  • Individual travel or trips
  • Sectarian organizations for religious purposes
  • Capital requests (building campaigns, equipment, renovations)
  • Political groups or lobbying efforts
  • Educational or research grants
  • Commercial co-ventures
  • Retroactive funding

Governance and Leadership

The Johnson & Johnson Foundation operates as an independent charitable organization funded solely by Johnson & Johnson. The Foundation maintains separate entities in the United States (founded 1953) and Scotland (founded 2007), both supporting global partnerships and community-led initiatives.

Specific information about trustees, board members, and senior staff is not publicly disclosed on the Foundation's website or in readily available materials. The Foundation operates in alignment with Johnson & Johnson's broader corporate leadership and community impact strategy.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Most Foundation Grants: The Johnson & Johnson Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. According to their official grantmaking statement: "Our team works extensively with NGO partners to co-create projects aligned with defined strategic priorities." The Foundation identifies and develops partnerships strategically rather than through an open application process.

For Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems (JJHCS) Community Grants: Organizations serving communities with JJHCS locations may apply through a structured process:

  • Submit requests via the JJHCS charitable contributions RFP template
  • Email completed template with attachments to Madeline Rivera at mrivera@cfnj.org
  • Organizations must maintain 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status
  • Must serve communities in eligible JJHCS locations

Decision Timeline

JJHCS Community Grants:

  • Funding decisions occur quarterly at the end of January, April, July, and October
  • Application deadlines typically fall 2-4 weeks before decision dates
  • Notifications follow in the month after submission
  • Note: Funding is not provided retroactively; applicants should plan ahead for time-sensitive programs

Global Strategic Partnerships: Timeline not publicly disclosed; varies based on partnership development and strategic alignment

Success Rates

Success rates are not publicly disclosed by the Foundation. Given the partnership-based approach for most grants, traditional success rate metrics do not apply to the majority of the Foundation's grantmaking.

For JJHCS Community Grants, application volume and approval rates are not published.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies are not publicly disclosed. For JJHCS Community Grants, organizations may submit requests each quarter, suggesting that reapplication is permitted.

Application Success Factors

Since the Johnson & Johnson Foundation operates primarily through strategic partnerships rather than open applications, success factors differ from traditional grant-seeking approaches:

For Strategic Partnerships:

  • Alignment with health workforce priorities: The Foundation explicitly states they focus on "building and strengthening a robust primary care health workforce made up of capable, confident and resilient nurses and community health workers who can provide quality care to the communities they serve."
  • Global health equity impact: Projects should address health inequities and close gaps between communities and needed care
  • Co-creation approach: The Foundation seeks partners willing to collaborate in designing projects, not just implementing pre-designed initiatives
  • Scalable solutions: Recent investments (Africa Frontline First: $20M total; WHO Academy: $7M) demonstrate interest in programs with potential for large-scale impact
  • Innovation focus: Through Impact Ventures, the Foundation invests in entrepreneurial solutions and new approaches to health equity

For JJHCS Community Grants:

  • Organizations must serve eligible geographic areas where JJHCS has locations
  • Projects should align with priority areas: education (especially STEM), health and social services, arts/culture access, veterans causes, or environment
  • Community-based organizations serving disadvantaged or marginalized populations are prioritized
  • Clear project outcomes and community benefit should be demonstrated

Examples of Recently Funded Work:

  • Africa Frontline First Catalytic Fund: Training and deploying 200,000 professional community health workers across eight African countries, impacting 40 million people
  • Institut de France/WHO Academy: $7 million for online and in-person educational opportunities for health workers globally
  • UNFPA midwifery advocacy project and Alliance to Improve Midwifery Education (AIME) establishment
  • Five U.S.-based health equity innovators receiving $75,000 seed funding each for community-driven health initiatives

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Most grants are invitation-only: The Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for its major strategic initiatives. Focus on relationship-building and demonstrating alignment with Foundation priorities through your existing work.
  • Health workforce is the core priority: Nurses, community health workers, and midwives are central to the Foundation's mission. Projects supporting these health professionals have the strongest alignment.
  • Think partnership, not proposal: The Foundation seeks "to co-create projects aligned with defined strategic priorities." If you do connect with the Foundation, be prepared to collaborate on project design rather than simply implementing your existing plans.
  • JJHCS provides a public application path: For organizations in eligible communities (specific counties in NJ, FL, TN, CO, MA, IN), the JJHCS program offers quarterly opportunities with a clear application process.
  • Scale matters for strategic investments: Recent commitments ($7M-$20M) suggest the Foundation makes significant investments in initiatives with potential for transformational impact.
  • Health equity is the lens: All work should demonstrably reduce health inequities and improve access to quality care for underserved communities.
  • Global reach: While U.S.-based, the Foundation supports work worldwide, with particular emphasis on Africa, Asia, and communities where Johnson & Johnson operates.

References

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