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.

Read More →

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.

Read More →

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.

Read More →

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.

Grantmakers In Health Statement on the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

Grantmakers in Health President and CEO Cara V. James issued the following statement after attending the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Wednesday, September 28, 2022:  “Grantmakers In Health (GIH) was pleased to participate in the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. We applaud the administration for bringing together a…

Read More →

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding GIH Funding Partner Giving Levels Adjustment

How do you calculate the requested contribution for non-traditional funders, or for funders with no payout requirements such as operating foundations, 501c4 foundations, etc.? GIH has enjoyed excellent relationships and benefitted from the participation of non-traditional funders in our network. In situations where it is difficult to calculate a request based on annual health funding,…

Read More →

2023 GIH Annual Conference: Call for Proposals

We invite you to submit a session proposal for the 2023 Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, “Advancing Philanthropy’s Commitment to the Long Game.”

Read More →

GIH in Nonprofit Quarterly: Health Funders Call on Philanthropy to Support Power Building

The 2022 Grantmakers In Health (GIH) annual conference was the subject of a September 19, 2022 Nonprofit Quarterly article exploring health philanthropy’s changing approach to community engagement, as well as the role of health conversion foundations in the field.

Read More →

Cara V. James Interviewed on TED Health Podcast: Advancing Public Health

Grantmakers In Health President and CEO Cara V. James was interviewed by Shoshana Ungerleider on the September 21, 2022 episode of the TED Health podcast about challenges faced by the U.S. public health system.

Read More →

Strengthening Social Connection and Opportunities in Rural Communities

This brief describes an unfolding learning journey intended to strengthen social connection, resident voice, and agency to address inequities in rural health and well-being. Along the way, we have come to realize the important lessons for each of our institutions and ways in which we are better off for having taken this approach to our work.

Read More →