Collaborating to combat childhood obesity.

Despite outstanding advances in children's health over the past several decades, rates of childhood obesity are near epidemic proportions. This paper highlights foundations' efforts to fight childhood obesity by convening organizations and effecting change at many levels of the community.

Child health: fertile ground for philanthropic investment.

Children and youth are the focus for many foundations and corporate-giving programs working in the health field. Total foundation giving targeted to children and youth more than doubled during the late 1990s; in 2000, health accounted for 25 percent of philanthropic dollars invested in this population. This funding covers a broad range of child health issues but clusters in four key areas-promoting healthy behavior, improving access to care and expanding insurance coverage, strengthening mental health services, and addressing the broader determinants of health.