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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Day 3 – Looking Ahead: A Year of Bold Action
The final day of the 2024 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy doubled down on a theme we’ve seen throughout our time in Portland. Even if you fund a specific program or issue area, your philanthropy has broader and more profound impacts. Throughout the conference, attendees were encouraged to approach their philanthropy in innovative and new ways. We are excited to hear about your courageous steps to widen your viewpoints, advocacy, and philanthropy in the weeks and months ahead.
Day 2 – Learning from Philanthropy’s Courageous Leaders
On Day 2 of the GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, the sun emerged and highlighted Portland’s natural beauty. Attendees kicked off this warm summer day with a power walk, networking breakfasts, breakout sessions, and quick takes before the annual Terrance Keenan and Andy Hyman Awards Plenary Luncheon, which honored two incredible leaders in health philanthropy and equity.
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.