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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Transitions

Philanthropy @ Work – Transitions – April 2026

The latest on transitions from the field.

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Grants and Programs

Philanthropy @ Work – Grants and Programs – April 2026

The latest on grants and programs from the field.

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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.

Dentistry’s Newest Profession: Expanding Access, Creating Equity, Improving Health

Dental therapists are oral health care’s newest professionals. In the same way that physician assistants work with medical teams, dental therapists are supervised by dentists and expand the reach of the dental team, which allows people to get dental care in communities that have long gone without it.

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DC in Color

Washington, DC is one of the most segregated cities in the United States, with many of its Black residents living east of the Anacostia River and its white and Hispanic residents living west of the river.

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Latino Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health

Earlier this year, with the goal of generating new insights and ideas about the role funders can play to advance health equity for Latinos and other people of color in California, GIH and Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) convened a meeting in San Francisco for funders and community partners on building a movement for Latino health equity.

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Philanthropy @ Work – Transitions – September 2018

The latest on transitions from the field.

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Philanthropy @ Work – Grants and Programs – September 2018

The latest on grants and programs from the field.

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Philanthropy @ Work – Awards – September 2018

The latest on awards from the field.

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