In an effort to promote and sustain policies that reduce tobacco use and related health threats, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton, New Jersey, has announced twenty-five grants totaling $2.2 million to a range of local, regional, and national organizations.

The grants will support tobacco prevention and cessation policy initiatives, especially for people living in communities most affected by tobacco-related disease and exposure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use causes an estimated 440,000 deaths annually in the United States. The initiative, Tobacco Policy Change: A Collaborative for Healthier Communities and States, will provide approximately $12 million over the next three years to support statewide and local tobacco control education, advocacy, communications, and outreach.

"While significant strides have been made in the battle to reduce tobacco use and the harm it brings to smokers and nonsmokers alike, there is much more work to be done," said RWJF president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey. "These new grants represent our commitment to sustain our tobacco prevention and cessation work, knowing that we need to pay special attention to policies that can improve the lives of those most negatively affected by tobacco use."

For the complete list of grantees, see: http://rwjf.org/news/special/granteeList121604.jhtml.