The United Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of healthcare delivery and benefits giant UnitedHealth Group, announced today a $100 million commitment to advance health equity and support the development of a racially and ethnically diverse health workforce.

Black, Hispanic and Native American people account for only 7.1% of the employed biological/biomedical and life sciences workforce, according to the National Science Foundation. The new 10-year commitment, the Foundation’s largest to date, will provide scholarships to support 10,000 underrepresented future clinicians and upskilling health professionals to help them obtain academic degrees or other professional credentials in medicine, nursing, midwifery, and mental health, among others.

Patricia Lewis, Chief Sustainability Officer, UnitedHealth Group, said:

“Today, there are far too many barriers to good health that are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups, and those with lower incomes. We are committed to leading the way, along with our partner organizations, in deploying tools, talent and resources to actively break down barriers, broaden access to care and make it easier for people to live healthier.”