Survey Findings: Perceptions of Health Funders
In July and August 2025, FGS Global conducted research on behalf of Grantmakers In Health (GIH) to help health funders better understand how they are viewed by the public. The research included an online survey of engaged voters nationwide and an online focus group with Washington, DC, policy professionals. An overview of the survey and online focus group findings is now available to all GIH Funding Partners.
Promoting Children’s Mental Health
The problem has been well documented: approximately one in five children and adolescents experiences a mental health disorder in any given year, and 1 in 10 of all youth experiences a mental illness that severely disrupts his or her daily functioning. Yet more than two-thirds who need mental health services do not receive them. While untreated mental illness can set an individual on a devastating path, early intervention or prevention can correct the course.
Communicating for Policy Change
Health foundations have traditionally overlooked communications as an essential tool for achieving strategic goals and, instead, have preferred to engage in “FYI” communications such as issuing annual reports, newsletters, and press releases on foundation grants. As this GIH Issue Brief Communicating for Policy Change reports, this attitude has evolved into one where more and more grantmakers recognize the importance of communications in their own work, specifically efforts to influence health policy.
Back to School: Improving Health Literacy to Improve Health
The start of a new school year represents an opportune time to consider how literacy skills can influence both the quality of the health care services people receive and the health outcomes they experience. Health literacy is defined as the ability to “obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (Institute of Medicine 2004).
Adolescence to Adulthood: Crossing the Threshold
The period between adolescence and adulthood is a time of great transition. As youth accepts the responsibilities of adulthood, they must take important choices about leaving home, continuing their education, finding a job, or starting a family. Over the past several decades, with more youth entering college and delaying marriage, the transition has become even more complex.
Engaging Employers: Creating Health Care Advocates in the Business Community
Employers provide health insurance coverage to 160 million workers and their dependents, almost two-thirds of the nonelderly population. With health care costs rising, many business leaders are calling for reform. Health philanthropy is experimenting with several ways to engage the business community in conversations about health care reform.
Reducing Gun Violence: Is There a Role for Health Philanthropy?
Every year, approximately 30,000 Americans lose their lives to gun violence. Efforts to reduce this tragic toll raise important questions: How can gun violence be prevented?
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