NJ SNIP: Supporting Behavioral Health Access Through Trust-based Grantmaking

Amid shifting federal health care funding, grants that enable health care safety net entities to respond to the changing landscape can unlock immense value. This form of grantmaking puts daily program-related decisions in the hands of people doing the work, allowing organizations to develop and sustain staff positions, workflows, and programs that reflect their priorities.

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Leaning Into Radical Collaboration Will Advance Your Focused Mission

At this year’s GIH annual conference, I found myself surrounded by hundreds of philanthropic leaders deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of their communities. Again and again, I met funders whose work was grounded in a particular place, population, or issue. These funders know their communities intimately. They understand local history, relationships, and the needs of their communities. Their focus is one of their greatest strengths.

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Changing the Vaccine Conversation Before It’s Too Late—What Can Philanthropy Do?

In July 2026, the United States reached a grim milestone when the number of confirmed cases of measles exceeded the total for all of 2025. On August 10, 2026, the White House issued an executive order directing changes to the federal childhood vaccine schedule and categories, and calls for availability of separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. The science has not changed, but the new framework could significantly slow down the delivery of protective immunizations from these serious diseases.

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Community Focused Strategies to Improve Health in West Baltimore

For far too long, residents of west Baltimore have faced continuous uphill battles to access basic amenities, services, jobs, and quality of life. Racism, redlining, eminent domain, disinvestment, school closures, poverty, violent crime, chronic health conditions, failed affordable housing, and the outmigration of businesses and residents have left behind vacant housing and dilapidated commercial corridors. These challenges result in a 17-year difference in life expectancy between residents of west Baltimore neighborhoods compared to other parts of the city.

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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.

Disparities in Food Access and in Opportunities for Physical Activity

This article discusses the causes for the rising tide of preventable chronic disease, not only in Massachusetts but across the country. It also highlights some of the key factors that have produced this change and the parts of the population that are often more affected.

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Race to the Top: Is Children’s Health in the Running?

The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge (RTTELC), jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education, and Health and Human Services, is the latest federal opportunity for states to receive grants to transform education systems and improve achievement outcomes for children.

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An Unprecedented Health Challenge Working with Border Communities

The Paso del Norte region is experiencing an unprecedented public health challenge – over the past three years, more than 8,000 individuals were murdered in Ciudad Juárez.

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Effective Behavioral Health Funding in an Era of Health Care Reform

Health funders today operate in an environment of change and uncertainty as policy changes driven by federal health care reform affect health care at state and local levels – often in ways that are hard to predict. Meanwhile, health funders increasingly recognize that addressing behavioral health challenges is central to promoting healthy individuals, families, and communities.

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Health Care Reform: Promises and Pitfalls for Maternal and Child Health

In 2009 health care spending in the United States reached an all-time high of nearly $2.5 trillion, representing an almost two-fold increase in spending on a per capita basis since 1997 (NIHCM Foundation 2011).

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Better Health Through Better Philanthropy - Grantmakers in Health

Integrating Primary Care and Public Health: Opportunities for Oral Health

As health philanthropy considers how to address the current individual and community burdens of increases in chronic diseases, I am optimistic when I reflect on the new and promising collaborations that are developing to better manage and prevent oral disease.

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