What Do We Stand For?
One year ago, as we were just one month into the new administration, I wrote that “At a moment when so much has been described as ‘unprecedented,’ and so much of what we value is being attacked, we need to ask ourselves as individuals, organizations, and a field, what do we stand for? What values do we hold, and what will we do and say to defend them?” Today, the answers to these questions are needed more urgently than ever.
Medicaid and Community Violence: Pathways to Sustainable Care
American cities are witnessing historic declines in gun violence. In recent years, cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Chicago have all seen precipitous drops in homicides, with some reaching multi-decade record lows (Washington Post 2025). While there are many causes of this decline, experts in the field point to community violence intervention as driving the trend.
Reimagining Rural Health and Well-being
To inform positive change, Grantmakers in Health (GIH) and the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) are partnering to reimagine a unified vision for health and well-being in rural America. The Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) was engaged to conduct a landscape analysis and facilitate listening sessions with rural health stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels.
Healthy Communities Foundation
“We are deepening our trust-based grantmaking, further aligning our strategy with the learnings and relationships built over years of partnership with community and grantees. Our approach reflects a growing focus on multi-year funding that helps to provide organizations with stability and flexibility to address the root causes of health inequities, strengthen resilient local networks, and advance community-driven solutions that promote health for all. The current public health, economic, and social challenges faced by our partners and the communities they serve highlight the urgency of acting now, while we remain steadfast in our long-term vision of equitable health and well-being for future generations”
Philanthropy @ Work – Transitions – January 2026
The latest on transitions from the field.
North Carolina Healthcare Foundation: January 2026
North Carolina Healthcare Foundation launched two major initiatives: the Social Impact Playbook and the Social Impact Hub. The Playbook captures its framework for creating meaningful, community-led solutions—from concept to sustainability. The Hub is a forum for connection, dialogue, and shared learning, supporting individuals and organizations on their social impact journey
Georgia Health Initiative: January 2026
The Georgia Health Initiative recently released the second annual edition of Insights on Medicaid in Georgia: Data & Trend Analyses, which provides an updated, comprehensive view of Georgia’s Medicaid program. It offers easily digestible information designed to educate and inform state decision-makers, non-profit organizations, health care providers, and other stakeholders engaged in health coverage.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation: January 2026
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation released a chart pack which provides an overview of the public coverage programs in Massachusetts, explains the key Medicaid and Marketplace provisions in H.R.1, and elevates what is known about how these provisions will impact the coverage landscape and the health care delivery system in Massachusetts.
Philanthropy @ Work – Grants and Programs – January 2026
The latest on grants and programs from the field.