Co-Presidents' Letter

Reduce barriers to quitting and/or switching from combustibles and other toxic tobacco products. The Foundation continued to fund impactful grants to ECLAT SRL at its Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR). Notably, in 2022, Professor Riccardo Polosa, founder of the CoEHAR, was recognized as the most cited scientist by Plos Biology. The Foundation also continued to fund the Rose Research Center, which conducted innovative research studies in the United States, and the Centre for Health Research and Education, which trained and empowered mental health professionals in the United Kingdom and India to provide their adult patients who smoke with tobacco cessation support.  

With a grant from the Foundation, ABF GMBH laboratories developed a clinical research protocol to evaluate the efficacy of THR products and tools for smokers to quit combustible tobacco products, with a focus on applicability to low- and middle-income countries. The Knowledge Action Change (KAC) Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction series, which the Foundation funded, examined the public health implications of THR in thematic briefing papers and a global online database. With funding from the Foundation, KAC also continued to sponsor a one-of-a kind Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme, which builds human capacity in this area.

Strengthen understanding, knowledge, and research capacity in the area of tobacco harm reduction and its role to end smoking.  The Foundation’s grant to Sermo, a social media network for physicians in 150 countries, promises to have a unique impact on strengthening understanding and knowledge in the area of THR.  Sermo conducted a global Doctors’ Poll of nearly 16,000 physicians in 11 countries. This grant develops actionable insights for medical professionals in accelerating an end to smoking. The Doctors’ Poll results will be available in June 2023. 

Similarly, the Foundation provided a grant to Physicians Research Institute, an organization devoted to providing direct assistance and research information to State Medical Societies, to fund the efforts of Dr. Cheryl Olson, Sc.D. Dr. Olson, who holds a doctorate from the Harvard School of Public Health and is a former member of Harvard Medical School, prepared the report Vaping as a Harm Reduction Solution to Tobacco Use for Physicians. 

In addition, the Foundation funded grants to study the economics associated with THR around the world, working with prestigious researchers, including at Cornell University.  

The Foundation also made grants to dispel the misinformation and disinformation about THR and nicotine, working with researchers from Mexico, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Philippines.

Support development of diversified agricultural ecosystems in Malawi. The progress achieved through our grantmaking in Malawi includes programs at the Centre for Agricultural Transformation, which  help smallholder farmers make  economically viable, data-driven decisions for diversifying their livelihoods. Approximately 40,000 smallholder tobacco farmers have benefitted from these programs and have adopted new value chains and technologies, leading to a 36% increase in crop productivity. Female smallholder tobacco farmers experienced a 170% increase in farming revenues with alternative crops.

Drive the transformation of tobacco companies.  In 2022, the second edition of the Tobacco Transformation Index®, was published, following two years of research into the efforts of the world’s 15 largest tobacco companies to reduce the harm of their products for the benefit of public health. The 2022 Index shows that differentiation is forming across the companies related to progress, or the lack thereof, toward harm reduction. To provide stakeholders with additional data and insights, several supporting Index reports and research materials were published.

Strengthening the Foundation’s future and looking to 2023.  To strengthen our organization and its future, the Foundation added expertise in the areas of public health, research, economics, and business transformation by hiring experienced personnel and forming key partnerships.

In 2023, we look forward to continuing to make measurable progress against our Strategic Plan goals, which starts by welcoming new grantees. We also will make new grants to address emerging challenges, including funding research toward solutions around waste from reduced-risk products. Supporting research in this important area is another step toward ensuring that the Foundation’s grantmaking portfolio comprehensively addresses all the issues relevant to achieving a smoke-free world.