Prevention Institute was founded in 1997 as the national center for developing and advancing the practice of primary prevention. They strive to shift the overarching mindset and approach to health from one that focuses solely on treating sick individuals, to one that prevents disease, violence and injury before they occur. They are building a movement to transform communities to support equity, health, and safety in the first place, by bolstering the conditions and factors that foster resilience and wellbeing.

Prevention Institute is a nonprofit organization that synthesizes research and practice; develops prevention tools and frameworks; designs and guides inter-sectoral partnerships; and provides training, technical assistance, and strategy development to promote innovative community-oriented solutions, better government and business practices, and policy change. Their approach to solving complex health and social issues is to address multiple problems concurrently, which all stem from similar underlying factors. They work across multiple Focus Areas and the core mission is to promote health equity—the commitment to ensuring that every person has an equal opportunity to be healthy and safe.

They have a diverse and passionate staff of 50 and an engaged Board of Directors and Executive Advisory Board. The headquarters is in Oakland and they have offices in Los Angeles, CA and Washington, D.C. The offices are designed to be both community assets and terrific workplaces for staff—open and inspirational environments that encourage creative thinking and collaboration.

Prevention Institute brings cutting-edge research, practice, and analysis to today's pressing health and safety concerns. Determined to achieve equity, health, and safety for all, to improve community environments equitably, and to serve as a focal point for primary prevention practice, Prevention Institute asks what can be done in the first place, before people get sick or injured.