The name Health Opportunities for People Everywhere (HOPE) is reflected in its mission:
It is Project HOPE's mission to achieve sustainable advances in health care around the world by implementing health education programs, conducting health policy research, and providing humanitarian assistance in areas of need; thereby contributing to human dignity, promoting international understanding, and enhancing social and economic development. The essence of Project HOPE is teaching; the basis is partnership.

Identifiable to many by the S.S. HOPE, the world's first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now conducts land-based medical training and health care education programs on five continents, including North America.