Healthier Information Ecosystems: Strategies for Health Philanthropy

Our information environment is transforming—including the places and people who help us make decisions about our health. Those health information ecosystems are fragmented; filled with information from a wide range of expertise and sources; and platform algorithms exert tremendous and unseen control over what messages are seen, shared, and amplified. These changes have many of our traditional health information sources racing to learn new skills to ensure they remain trusted and relevant.

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Beyond Innovation: How Philanthropy Can Strengthen Systems to Improve Rural Health Outcomes

Sometimes innovation in philanthropy is associated with breakthrough technologies or new medical discoveries. But some of the most impactful investments fund something less visible: the coordination of people, protocols, and institutions already in place so they work together seamlessly to save lives.

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A Philanthropic Tree of Life: Seeding Health Equity through Influence and Innovation

Philanthropy can function as a living ecosystem for change rooted in equity, nourished by trust, and bearing the fruits of community well-being. The Direct Relief Fund for Health Equity (DRFHE), launched with $50 million in initial investments, exemplifies a transformative philanthropic model supporting nearly 200 community-based organizations across the United States. Acknowledging DRFHE as a “Tree of Life” offers a framework grounded in community-led, trust-based, and unrestricted giving that challenges traditional philanthropic paradigms. Therefore, this article describes the fund’s origins, strategic priorities, and outcomes, and introduces the DRFHE Tree of Life framework as a replicable model for equity-driven philanthropy.

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GIH Health Policy Update Newsletter

An Exclusive Resource for Funding Partners

The Health Policy Update is a newsletter produced in collaboration with Leavitt Partners and Trust for America’s Health. Drawing on GIH’s policy priorities outlined in our policy agenda and our strategic objective of increasing our policy and advocacy presence, the Health Policy Update provides GIH Funding Partners with a range of federal health policy news.

Views from the field by Vinny Demarco

Reflections from 2020 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy Recipient

My organization, the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative (MCHI) Education Fund, has made tremendous progress in expanding access to quality, affordable health care and improving public health. These achievements have only been possible because of our great fortune to work with a bold philanthropic community that is invested in strategic advocacy and public health.

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Views from the field by Peggy Maguire

COVID-19: Why We Need Palliative Care More Than Ever

Peggy Maguire, President, Cambia Health FoundationSenior Vice President, Palliative Care Solutions, Cambia Health Solutions Cambia Health Foundation, the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, purposefully invests in health care system transformation, making the journey more person-focused and economically sustainable from birth to natural completion of life. Through our signature program, Sojourns®, we invest in palliative…

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Reflections from 2020 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy Recipient

Terrance Keenan believed that people and ideas are the heart of philanthropic leadership. He observed that grantmakers need “an astute sense of what is significant—not only the quality of the ideas underlying the proposal but the quality of the people behind the ideas.” In his view, effective grantmakers “proactively and constantly seek out the best ideas, people, and institutional systems to advance a foundation’s goals.” Terrance Keenan’s beliefs and observations have never been more relevant than today.

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Working Towards a Just and Equitable Future

We are heartbroken and outraged by recent and continuing acts of racism and violence against Black communities and communities of color, and we stand with all who are demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Christian Cooper, Ahmaud Arbery, and other victims of racism and violence.

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Terrance Keenan Institute

2020 Terrance Keenan Institute Fellows Named

GIH is delighted to announce the 2020 Terrance Keenan Institute for Emerging Leaders in Health Philanthropy class of fellows.

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Quick Poll Results: Foundation Payout in Response to COVID-19

Quick Poll Results: Foundation Payout in Response to COVID-19

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