The Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation was established to address the health needs of West Virginians. There is a growing body of research telling us that to do this effectively we must make the quality of early experiences and the health of children and youth top priorities. Because of this, the Foundation focuses its efforts on specific projects with the most promise to impact the long-term health of West Virginia’s children and their families.

Rather than funding multiple grant requests from various organizations, this approach allows the Foundation to partner with existing initiatives demonstrating best practices in child and family health and wellness. The Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation is currently focused on projects from the West Virginia School-Based Health Initiative, WV Child Advocacy Network (Child Advocacy Centers), Partners in Community Outreach (In-Home Family Education) and other organizations that propose programs that assist men and women in coping with challenging situations such as addiction, unemployment, low paying jobs, domestic violence, legal difficulties and others.  Hopefully, this focus for SSJHWF funding will ultimately empower these individuals and, at the same time, support and fortify family structure thus benefitting the children in those families.

Since its creation in 2001, the Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation has awarded over $10 million in grants.