Funding

Three national foundations provide grants to dental schools in the United States under the Pipeline, Profession & Practice: Community-Based Dental Education (Dental Pipeline) program.

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is the primary funder of Dental Pipeline, providing $1.6 milllion for Round 2 of this program. Up to $200,000 has been authorized for 8 dental schools. Previously, RWJF provided $19 million for technical assistance to particpating Round 1 schools. Each of those 11 dental schools recieved up to $1.5 million.

• Additionally, RWJF supported the National Evaluation Team, housed at the UCLA School of Public Health, Department of Health Services with a $1.8 million extramural grant over five years to evaluate the Foundation's component of the Dental Pipeline program.

• The California Endowment is currently funding $6.8 million for all five of its dental schools through 2010. It previously invested $6.3 million over four and a half years to support the participation of four California dental schools in the Dental Pipeline: California Initiative, from 2003-2007. Five million dollars was disbursed to the dental schools with grants of up to $1.2 million each.

• The W.K. Kellogg Foundation and The California Endowment provided funds totaling $1.6 million to the American Dental Education Association to allocate financial aid to low-income and minority students attending the 11 RWJF-funded dental schools for Round 1 of the program.