Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
“At Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, we’re committed to improving lives beyond our hospital walls. We focus on all aspects of health—physical, mental, and economic. We know many families struggle with access to care, economic instability, and behavioral health issues, including disparities in maternal and infant health. By addressing these needs through our community partnerships, we aim to help families overcome barriers and achieve better health outcomes.”
IEHP Foundation
“At IEHP Foundation, our work centers around health equity to ensure that our region becomes a beacon of Vibrant Health—meaning everyone has a fair chance to be as healthy as possible. We achieve Vibrant Health by addressing the social determinants of health—that 60 to 80percent of nonclinical factors that affect a person’s health. By working with our community partners to strengthen their organizational capacity and to help them identify those health equity issues they are addressing, we can ensure that more individuals in our region access the core needs such as humane housing, easily accessible nutritious food, quality health care, meaningful work, and education to live a healthy and joyful life.”
The Joyce Foundation
“Gun Violence is a significant public health issue in our communities. We believe that philanthropy has an important role to play in tackling it. Despite the enormity of that challenge, public and private funding to address gun violence has lagged—perhaps because of the perceived risk in engaging on this issue, or the apparent challenges in driving impact on an issue that seems intractable. For those very reasons philanthropy must rise to the challenge and take risks where government cannot, and lead when others will not.”
Interact for Health
“When we asked our community what we should prioritize ahead of launching a new strategic plan, the response around mental health was overwhelming, especially for youth. This work is urgent and necessary, and the trends of the past few years are a call to all of us to listen to the young people in our lives and center their needs. I’m especially excited that we have co-created a 25-person Youth Action Council as part of our collaborative work on youth mental health in the region. We know that: ‘those closest to the problems are closest to solutions’ and the Youth Action Council is one way we are living out that value.”
Mid-Iowa Health Foundation
“Utilizing a public health lens, we understand that data is critical to drive decisionmaking. Thus, we seek to invest in data-driven and community-informed initiatives to inform decisionmakers regarding policy and resource investment decisions to positively impact community health.”
Humana Foundation
“To advance health equity and help support the needs of the seniors, school-age children, and Veterans we serve, our approach is to operate philanthropy more like a business – embedding it with metrics, driving for collaboration, and informing all decisions with data and research. These are essential elements in moving the needle for people living in underserved communities, especially those who are most vulnerable to trauma and systemic barriers.”
Stupski Foundation
“Our approach to grantmaking in health has been deeply shaped by our choice to spend down, and all for the better. I welcome the chance to connect with others considering how having an end date can transform their work and that of their partners. For us, spending down has liberated us to drastically increase the amount we can spend to advance health equity in Hawai’i and the San Francisco Bay AreaOur approach to grantmaking in health has been deeply shaped by our choice to spend down, and all for the better. I welcome the chance to connect with others considering how having an end date can transform their work and that of their partners. For us, spending down has liberated us to drastically increase the amount we can spend to advance health equity in Hawai’i and the San Francisco Bay Area.”
VNA Foundation
“There is never a shortage of needs in the communities we serve, but the health-related issues during the past few years have challenged our team to think creatively, expansively, and collaboratively. We believe private philanthropy should take risks and implement strategies to meet immediate health needs more efficiently and effectively. Being part of a community like GIH—which allows for the sharing of ideas, successes, and lessons learned—has been invaluable.”
Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation
“The approach for Black Women Thriving is imperative now because we haven’t seen the disparities reduce over time. And in fact, the disparities are increasing. Black women are the core of the community. They’re the decisionmakers in their families, and the caretakers in the community. Finding the best approach to lift up their lives and their voice, improve their health outcomes and economic mobility, will have an economic and social benefit across communities. So, it’s something that we must do, and we can’t ignore any longer.”
Knapp Community Care Foundation
“Philanthropy is the catalyst that holds the key to unlocking the boundless potential of communities, setting in motion a powerful ripple effect of positive change that elevates the quality of life, enhances health outcomes, and fosters lasting prosperity. Investing in crucial areas such as educational opportunities, equitable health care access, and economic empowerment initiatives can bridge gaps and pave the way for a future where prosperity knows no boundaries. Through strategic philanthropic endeavors, we have the transformative ability to uplift entire communities. By fostering a culture of giving and collaboration, philanthropy becomes a driving force behind building a society where compassion, empathy, and collective action reign.”