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.

Request for Proposals: GIH State Grant Writing Assistance Fund

GIH, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, announces the availability of the GIH State Grant Writing Assistance Fund. The fund will provide up to $15,000 in matching funds per state to grantmakers interested in offering grant writing support to state government agencies.

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Drew Altman Named 2011 Terrance Keenan Award Winner

Grantmakers In Health is pleased to announce that Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., president and CEO of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, has been named the 2011 recipient of The Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy.

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GIH Announces New Board Members

Grantmakers In Health is pleased to announce the addition of Sarah Iselin, Eugene Lewit, Robin Mockenhaupt, and Steve Roling to its board of directors. Their board terms begin after the GIH Annual Meeting on Health Philanthropy, March 2-4, 2011.

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Better Health Through Better Philanthropy - Grantmakers in Health

Giving Voice: The Power of Grassroots Advocacy in Shaping Public Policy

Within advocacy work, there exists a wide spectrum of strategies that can be employed to change or shape public policy. Yet, too often, nonprofit health organizations tend to limit themselves to a narrow range of strategies that typically includes education, policy/data analysis, and limited legislative advocacy. While these strategies are important to public policy work, they may not be enough to influence policymakers in today’s increasingly special interest and ideological-driven political system.

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Ingredients for a Healthy School Lunch Movement

From a comfortable distance, the solution to the childhood obesity problem sounds deceptively easy: children need to move more and eat healthier foods. Yet, as you examine the many causes of childhood obesity, the simple solution is not quite as simple as it sounds. Encouraging children to adopt healthy habits is challenging because unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyles are engrained in our culture.

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Lights, Camera, Take Action: Spotlighting Public Health for the Next Generation

What do zombies, “Salad Man,” and Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant have in common? They have all played a role in Northwest Health Foundation’s efforts to bring the importance of a fully functioning public health system into the hearts and minds of the people – especially the youth – of Oregon.

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