WOONSOCKET, R.I. – The CVS Health Foundation, American Cancer Society and Truth Initiative are making grants available for U.S. colleges and universities to adopt 100% tobacco-free campus policies.

The grants delivered through Truth Initiative and American Cancer Society are part of “Be The First,” CVS Health's five-year, $50 million initiative to create the first tobacco-free generation. CVS Health claims that of the roughly 20 million college and university students in the United States, more than 1 million could die from cigarette smoking.

"We are at a critical moment in our nation's efforts to end the epidemic of smoking and tobacco use, and expanding the number of tobacco-free college and university campuses is an important step in our efforts," said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation

According to a new survey from CVS Health, three in four Americans (73%) and eight in 10 U.S. college students (78%) indicated their support for policies that prohibit smoking and other tobacco use on college campuses. At the same time, 57% of U.S. college students say a tobacco-free campus is an important consideration when applying to or attending a college.

Since the launch of its tobacco-free college program in 2016, the CVS Health Foundation has awarded more than $3 million in grants to 146 U.S. colleges and universities. The U.S. Department of Education reports there are approximately 4,700 U.S. colleges and universities, and CVS Health says there are 1,611 campuses that are 100% smoke- and tobacco-free.