Make Connections to Create a Movement for Rural Health

On Thursday, September 24, the Annual Meeting of the Rural Health Philanthropy Partnership kicked off in downtown Bethesda, MD. Selected highlights from the convening’s first day setting the stage for a full day of sessions and networking opportunities centered on how collaboration can build on progress already underway in rural and tribal communities, including rural health transformation efforts.

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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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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.

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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Purpose-Driven Investments: Advancing Equity by Diversifying Foundations’ Asset Managers

In 2020, none of the Health Forward Foundation’s assets were managed by Black, Latina, or Latino managers. Struck by that stark reality, Health Forward began the process of diversifying the asset managers in its investment portfolio as part of a larger strategy to align the Foundation’s capital with its purpose.

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Cara V. James in The Well News: As the COVID-19 Emergency Ends, We Must Not End Our Commitment to Advance Health Equity

Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Cara V. James was quoted in a December 18, 2022 Politico Magazine article about the Black community’s distrust of the health care system.

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