Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health
GIH President and CEO Cara V. James offers reflections on the theme for the 2026 Annual Conference
Grantmakers In Health Announces 2026 Award Winners
Grantmakers In Health is pleased to announce Mark Constantine, Senior Vice President of Community Investment at the Dogwood Health Trust in North Carolina, as the 2026 recipient of the Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health, and Gladys Vega, President and CEO of La Colaborativa in Massachusetts, as the 2026 recipient of the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.
Gladys Vega of La Colaborativa to Be Honored with the 2026 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy
Gladys Vega, President and CEO of La Colaborativa in Massachusetts, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2026 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.
GIH Health Policy Update Newsletter
The Latest
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.
Day 1 – Advancing a Movement for Health Equity
Today we welcomed over 600 attendees to our biggest and boldest Grantmakers In Health (GIH) Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy! The conference officially launched with on-site and off-site experiences to introduce attendees to Portland, community organizations, and local health initiatives. GIH Board members and staff warmly welcomed conference newcomers and left them with advice applicable to all attendees: Don’t hesitate to meet new people at the conference. These connections and shared ideas will outlast your time in Portland and advance a movement for health equity.
Preconference – Welcome to the 2024 GIH Conference on Health Philanthropy!
The 2024 Grantmakers In Health Conference on Health Philanthropy, Bold Results Through Courageous Action, launched in Portland, Oregon today, Monday, June 3, 2024, with three engaging pre-conference sessions.
Exploring the Packard Foundation’s U.S. Reproductive Health Initiative
The Packard Foundation has a long history of funding efforts that protect, regain, and expand access to abortion and contraception and funding innovations to expand access to these services as part of its U.S. Reproductive Health initiative. To explore the foundation’s current work, specifically at the state level, Grantmakers In Health’s Miranda Wesley spoke with the Packard Foundation’s U.S. Reproductive Health Director, Elizabeth Arndorfer.
A New Philanthropic Approach to Supporting the Health and Capacity of Rural Communities
To understand health and wellness in rural America, it has been suggested that you need to find a trusted intermediary inside the region that is walking hand-in-hand with the community. Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group describes this type of intermediary as a Rural Development Hub. Rural Development Hubs focus on advancing an asset-based, wealth-building approach to rural community engagement and economic development. This inherently includes increasing the health and wellness of the community and its residents; increasing local ownership of all types of assets from cultural, social, financial to political, attracting external resources and funding; and it always includes low-income, under resourced people and places. Hubs seek to transform regions by treating root causes of multigenerational poverty and disease by shifting the balance of power and developing a stronger power base in the community and with those most impacted by the issues at hand.
Expanding Youth Mental Health in Philadelphia Schools
Youth in the United States are in crisis. Rates of depression and anxiety in children have been on the rise, the result of factors like social media, pandemic related issues like isolation, and trauma from gun violence and poverty. Between 2016 and 2020, diagnoses of depression in youth ages 3-17 increased by nearly 30 percent and were higher for children of color and LGBTQ children according to a 2022 study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
‘Digging In’ to Create a Healthy Agriculture System
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF), a Grantmakers In Health (GIH) Philanthropy Support Partner, recently released their first documentary film, Digging In, in partnership with Masika Henson, Nathan.works, and Vatheuer Family Foundation. The documentary aims to help funders understand how land access, consolidation, and climate change affect U.S. agriculture, which are all factors that impact health and equity. To learn more about the creation and inspiration behind the film, GIH conducted the following Q&A with SAFSF’s Executive Director Clare Fox.