Remarks on Defending Philanthropy’s Freedom to Give
President and CEO of Grantmakers In Health (GIH), Cara V. James, delivered opening remarks at the 2025 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy in New Orleans.
Building a Collaborative Vision of the Future
Today, over 840 funders and thought leaders, representing 440 organizations, gathered in New Orleans for the largest Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy ever. Conference attendees started the day with site visits around the Crescent City and newcomer and networking lunches, rooting the week ahead in connections with the New Orleans community and each other.
Forging Partnerships for a Better Tomorrow at the Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference
The Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference pre-conference sessions kicked off today in New Orleans, a city rich in resilience and spirit. Nearly 20 years since Hurricane Katrina, we gather to be inspired by the partnerships that supported communities two decades ago, and the ones that we are forging for the road ahead.
Health Philanthropy Impacting the Health and Well-Being of Family Caregivers
More than 53 million Americans—21 percent of the US population—are caregivers for loved ones who are older adults or adults living with chronic, disabling, or serious health conditions. Increasingly, the US health and long-term care systems rely on family caregivers. In 2017, family caregivers in the US provided a staggering 80 percent of long-term care, valued at $470 billion, and in 2021, 38 million family caregivers spent 36 billion hours caring for older adults, amounting to an estimated $600 billion in unpaid caregiving.
As More Americans Gain Health Care Coverage, Advocates Fight for Higher-Quality Insurance
People’s Action and our allies fought hard to win health care for millions through the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion. 91 percent of Americans now have health insurance, even though there is still work to do to ensure everyone can get coverage, particularly immigrants and those living in holdout non-expansion states.
Philanthropy’s Role in Equitable Medi-Cal Expansion
California has more people enrolled in Medicaid than any other state—almost 15 million of 93 million enrollees nationwide, and the state’s efforts to equitably address the enrollment churn make it worth watching. When the pause on Medicaid redeterminations ended in April, up to 3 million Medi-Cal enrollees, California’s program, were at risk of losing coverage. Most at risk are those often eligible but inconsistently enrolled in Medi-Cal—if at all. Many of these individuals are from poorly served communities who often experience longstanding discrimination in accessing health care. They commonly live in extremely rural areas and lack access to the internet and transportation; have unstable housing; are reluctant to enroll due to their immigration status; and have limited English proficiency, live with a physical disability, or have behavioral health needs. If Medi-Cal is to be a true driver for health equity, we need to close the enrollment gap in these communities.
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation: July 2023
The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation announced a call for proposals for its Special Initiatives grant program. In addition, the foundation is now recruiting applicants for the 12th cohort of emerging leaders in the health leadership program that begins this fall.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation: July 2023
This study, commissioned in collaboration with the Health Equity Compact, aims to quantify that economic burden associated with solutions for reducing inequities in health (which require investments of time and resources for which there will always be competing priorities.)