Advancing Health and Creating Lasting Impact: MacKenzie Scott’s Grants to Health Foundations

In 2019, MacKenzie Scott announced that she was stepping into the world of philanthropy to give away her multi-billion-dollar fortune “until the safe is empty”. She has kept her word—to date, she has given away $16.5 billion. Her initial process for choosing which organizations would receive grants was shrouded in mystery. From 2019 to 2023, Scott used a process she termed “quiet research” to identify possible grantee organizations. The lucky organizations received a call from Scott’s consultants, who let them know they were receiving a grant for immediate use however they would like to spend it. In the Fall of 2022, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) became one of those grantee organizations, along with more than 20 health foundations. Two additional GIH Funding Partner organizations received gifts in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

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Accompaniment: The Missing Piece of the Funding Puzzle

We continue to be inspired by the plenary remarks Dr. Paul Farmer gave at Grantmakers In Health’s 2006 Annual Meeting on Health Philanthropy.

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Funder Approaches to Youth Behavioral Health Equity

Even before the pandemic, the mental health and well-being of adolescents and young adults was worrisome and worsening. COVID-19 has exacerbated these trends and heightened existing disparities. GIH surveyed its Funding Partners in October 2021 to better understand how health foundations are addressing youth behavioral health equity. The survey results are summarized in an infographic that provides a useful snapshot of primary funding areas, types of populations supported, and top funding strategies.

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Improving Data on Race and Ethnicity: A Roadmap to Measure and Advance Health Equity

The second of two reports, Improving Data on Race and Ethnicity: A Roadmap to Measure and Advance Health Equity, provides more details about race and ethnicity data collection in federally administered health programs and an expanded list of recommendations for improving the data. The recommendations consider actions for states and the private sector as well as actions for the federal government.

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Federal Action Is Needed to Improve Race and Ethnicity Data in Health Programs

Grantmakers In Health, in collaboration with the National Committee for Quality Assurance, interviewed a variety of stakeholders across the country, representing all levels of the health system. Federal Action Is Needed to Improve Race and Ethnicity Data in Health Programs, identifies tangible actions to help improve the completeness, accuracy, and usability of race and ethnicity data.

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Update from the Field: Results of Grantmakers In Health’s 2021 Review of Health Care Conversion Foundations

GIH’s Update from the Field: Results of Grantmakers In Health’s 2021 Review of Health Care Conversion Foundations documents the continued growth and evolution of this important sector within health philanthropy. This article and foundation directory highlight the growing diversity of the field and provide benchmarking data on more than 300 foundations.

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Update from the Field: Results of Grantmakers In Health’s 2021 Review of Health Care Conversion Foundations Infographic

GIH’s 2021 Update from the Field infographic offers a fresh look at this important sector within health philanthropy, documenting its continued growth. It also explores the origins, tax-exempt status, asset size, and geographic diversity of conversion foundations.

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