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.

Issue Brief on State Opioid Settlement Spending Decisions

The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts supported the National Academy for State Health Policy in the development of an issue brief providing an early look at state opioid settlement spending decisions.

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The Catalyst for the Long Game is Community

Friday may have marked the close of the 2023 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, but it was just the beginning of a renewed commitment to the long game. From deep laughs at the wellness activity to deeper discussions during breakout sessions, the last day left attendees with takeaways to catalyze conversations with colleagues and communities.

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An Abundance of Opportunities to Learn, Connect, and Grow

Thursday at the GIH Annual Conference was a day filled with connection, learning, and growth. Wellness sessions featuring yoga, breathwork, and Hula as exercise gave attendees time to recharge in between an engaging lineup of sessions. Read more about today’s award luncheon, keynote address by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, plenary panel focusing on the implications of the Dobbs decision, and the conference offsite reception.

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Committing to the Long Game in Health Philanthropy

Today marked the official start of the 2023 Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference. Attendees were up bright and early to get to know Minneapolis, the home of this year’s conference and original site of the 2020 gathering.

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Welcome to the 2023 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy!

Reporting from the 2023 Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy Preconference sessions begin in Minneapolis The GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, Advancing Philanthropy’s Commitment to the Long Game, kicked off yesterday afternoon with preconference sessions in Minneapolis. Conference participants had the opportunity to attend two preconference sessions: HERE to Listen: Listening for Racial Equity Impact…

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A Conversation with Jill Shumann, Grantmakers In Health’s New Vice President for Programming

This month, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Cara V. James sat down with Jill Shumann, GIH’s new Vice President for Programming, to learn more about Jill’s long career in health and how her experience applies to GIH’s mission of advancing better health for all through better philanthropy. Jill discussed her formative years as a Peace Corps Volunteer, her work on international public health in Africa, and her recent tenure at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

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