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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From President Cara James

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health

GIH President and CEO Cara V. James offers reflections on the theme for the 2026 Annual Conference

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Grantmakers In Health Announces 2026 Award Winners

Grantmakers In Health is pleased to announce Mark Constantine, Senior Vice President of Community Investment at the Dogwood Health Trust in North Carolina, as the 2026 recipient of the Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health, and Gladys Vega, President and CEO of La Colaborativa in Massachusetts, as the 2026 recipient of the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.

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Gladys Vega of La Colaborativa to Be Honored with the 2026 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy

Gladys Vega, President and CEO of La Colaborativa in Massachusetts, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2026 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.

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Mark Constantine of the Dogwood Health Trust to be honored with the 2026 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award

Mark Constantine, Senior Vice President of Community Investment at Dogwood Health Trust in North Carolina, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2026 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award.

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GIH Joins Amicus Brief Opposing New Citizenship Verification Requirements

GIH joined organizations filing an amicus brief for the case brought by NY and other states seeking to stop the administration’s attempt to expand citizenship verification requirements under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 for programs administered by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Justice.

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