Collaborative Comment Letter to the Department of Education in Support of Health Professionals
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is urging funders to sign on to our comment letter on this proposed rule by Friday, February 27. Your voice matters—the Department of Education must consider all comments submitted before finalizing the rule.
Funders Collaborate in Support of Health Professionals
The U.S. Department of Education recently published a proposed rule that would narrow the definition of which graduate programs qualify as “professional degrees” for federal student loan purposes, affecting how much students in certain health fields may borrow. Finalizing this rule will result in reduced access to care (especially in rural and other underserved communities), by making graduate education less affordable, disrupting health workforce pipelines, and creating obstacles for students to enter essential health and human-services professions.
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.
GIH Health Policy Update Newsletter
An Exclusive Resource for Funding Partners
The Health Policy Update is a newsletter produced in collaboration with Leavitt Partnersi 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.
New Grantmakers In Health Survey Finds a Significant Growth in Firearm Violence Prevention Investments Among Health Funders
Washington, DC, March 14, 2025—At a time when firearm violence is a leading cause of death for children and teens, a new Grantmakers In Health survey of health funding organizations found that philanthropic investments in firearm violence prevention are growing in terms of both the number of funders supporting this work and the dollar amounts…
Celebrating Our Colleague Eileen Salinsky, a Grantmakers In Health Mainstay Since 2007
After 18 years at Grantmakers In Health, Eileen Salinsky, longtime Program Advisor and former Vice President for Program and Strategy, has announced her retirement. Her last day at GIH will be Friday, March 21, 2025. Eileen was recruited as GIH’s Vice President for Program and Strategy by former President and CEO Lauren LeRoy in 2007. Family obligations required Eileen to step back from her management position, but she stayed on part-time as a Program Adviser for almost two decades.
Maternal Health in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities: Challenges, Opportunities, and Pathways Forward
Maternal health is a cornerstone of any community’s well-being, yet American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women face disproportionate challenges in achieving safe and healthy pregnancies. Historical inequities, systemic barriers, and the enduring effects of colonization have resulted in significant maternal health disparities within Native communities. However, these same communities are also sources of resilience, creativity, and innovation. Maternal health programs aimed at centering community in tradition, culture, and resiliency can offer unique, cross-sectoral solutions to complex systemic health barriers for AI/AN families.
Investing in Civic Infrastructure: The Rise of a New Foundation in a Rural, Disinvested Community
When people hear about our work in Imperial Valley, they often exclaim, “How exciting to build a new foundation!” But I gently redirect them: We’re not building another institution— the last thing our communities need is another organization competing for resources. Instead, we’re building civic infrastructure to create the framework for lasting, community-led change.
Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation: March 2025
The Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation’s Spring 2025 grantmaking cycle opened March 1, 2025. All grant applications are submitted through AkoyaGo, the foundation’s grants portal. The foundation no longer requires a letter of intent for grant applications.