GIH Blog and News

Philanthropy’s Impact on Health Care Systems: Supporting the Creation of a Community-Health Worker-Based Chronic Care Management Model in Appalachia

Guided by its mission of “helping people help themselves,” the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation strategically invests in the creative problem-solving activities of local communities and individuals. For the past decade, the Benedum Foundation has accomplished this mission in its support of a particular health care delivery model: efficient chronic disease management through a medical model leveraging the skills of community health workers in Appalachia. This model provides unique patient care, has shown success for improving the health conditions of a target population, and reduced health care costs—accomplishments that align with the Institute of Health Improvement’s Triple Aim framework.

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Engaging Youth to Guide Research on Their Own Well-Being

In 2019, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Equity and Inclusion unit hosted a convening with young people from Black, Latinx, and American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) cultural affinity groups, along with adults who support the work and leadership of these youth and young adults. The young participants, many of whom were from the Aspen Institute’s Fresh Tracks program, expressed the need for young leaders to be the ones defining youth well-being and finding solutions that help their own communities support the well-being of young people.

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Connecting Mental Health and Wealth in North Carolina

Mental health and wealth are inextricably linked, influencing each other bidirectionally. While many factors contribute to mental health, we know from the social determinants of health that the most foundational are socioeconomic, including income, wealth, and safe neighborhoods. Asset Funders Network defines wealth in an assets-to-debt ratio. 

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GIH Bulletin

GIH Bulletin: January/February 2024

Trends in leadership are changing — just take the Terrance Keenan Institute as an example. When the program started in 2010, it focused on general leadership tactics with topics that ranged from leveraging resources and building partnerships to board dynamics. Since then, the Institute’s curriculum has moved towards a recognition that leaders possess individual strengths that can be embraced to make our organizations and the broader field of health philanthropy more effective.

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Issue Brief by Eileen Salinsky

GIH Bulletin: November/December 2023

Firearm injuries are a serious public health problem, killing more than 47,000 Americans each year and becoming the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States in 2020. Given the impact and complexity of this health crisis, Grantmakers in Health (GIH) hosted a first-ever preconference session focused on firearm violence in advance of the June 2023 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy. Session speakers briefed partners on the causes of gun violence and provided an opportunity for health funders to learn more about potential solutions through a public health lens. This Issue Brief provides highlights of the meeting’s proceedings and previews GIH’s plans to convene a funder learning collaborative on firearm violence prevention to continue the peer learning and sharing that began at the preconference session.

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GIH Bulletin: October 2023

Grantmakers In Health began 2023 by announcing an ambitious set of health policy priorities supporting four key goals—to advance health equity and social justice, to expand health care access and improve quality of care, to improve population health, and to promote community engagement and empowerment. Throughout the year, we aligned our work with our policy agenda, which was reflected in much of the programming at the 2023 GIH Annual Conference in Minneapolis, in our recent position statement on the 2023 Farm Bill, and in much of our other programming. Next week’s Fall Forum in Washington, DC, furthers GIH’s policy agenda, serving as a springboard for our continued engagement on policy in 2024.

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Podcasts

Rural Matters Podcast: Philanthropy Serving Organizations Weigh In on Rural Health

On the fourth and final episode of the series, representatives from philanthropy-serving organizations discussed priority issues and promising strategies to strengthen and expand philanthropic investments in rural areas.

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Rural Matters Podcast: Economically Thriving Communities Boost Rural Health

The third episode of the four-part series addressed economic development in rural areas. Economic prosperity or lack thereof is a vital social determinant of health.

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Rural Matters Podcast: The Promise of Telemedicine Expansion in Rural Areas

This podcast explored the benefits of this expanding service delivery mode, as well as the challenges to achieving equitable telehealth access.

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Reports and Surveys

2023 Year in Review

The 2023 Grantmakers In Health (GIH) Year in Review report explores a year’s worth of innovative programming, details the launch of GIH’s inaugural policy agenda, provides an update on the ongoing implementation of GIH’s strategic plan, and previews GIH’s priorities for 2024.

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Issue Brief by Eileen Salinsky

Public Health Approaches to Firearm Violence Prevention

Firearm injuries are a serious public health problem, killing more than 47,000 Americans each year and becoming the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States in 2020. Given the impact and complexity of this health crisis, Grantmakers in Health (GIH) hosted a first-ever preconference session focused on firearm violence in advance of the June 2023 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy. Session speakers briefed partners on the causes of gun violence and provided an opportunity for health funders to learn more about potential solutions through a public health lens. This Issue Brief provides highlights of the meeting’s proceedings and previews GIH’s plans to convene a funder learning collaborative on firearm violence prevention to continue the peer learning and sharing that began at the preconference session.

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The Story of Care: A Snapshot of the Care Narrative Change Landscape

At some point, every one of us will need care or need to provide care. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions of caregivers and exposed the failings caused by our nation’s lack of care policies, especially for communities of color. Deploying narrative-change strategies across care-related issues will help create the conditions for cultural and policy progress. The goal of this report is to share with funders the promising narrative-change strategies and tactics that have been identified, a directory of funders and grantees who are supporting this work, and how philanthropy can best support this effort.

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Upcoming Webinars

Roundtable Discussion for Health Funders’ Policy Staff

Join this informal roundtable discussion to connect with your peers, explore pressing issues, and share your experiences collaborating with philanthropic liaisons in state government. 

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Advocacy for the Older Americans Act Reauthorization: What Can My 501c 3 Foundation Do?

Join us for a workshop that will provide you with a clear understanding of what advocacy activities your 501(c)(3) organization can engage in, what communications count as lobbying, and how to maximize your non-lobbying advocacy. 

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Food and Nutrition Policy in Indian Country 

Participants will learn about the current federal and state policy landscape, opportunities and challenges facing advocates, and community-based strategies that are making a difference in communities across Indian Country.

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