Featured Resources
Raising the Bar on Voting Accessibility in Missouri
Missouri Foundation for Health has developed a policy brief with recommendations supporting the efforts of the disability community across the state to make voting processes more accessible for all Missourians.
Fair Maps For Better Health Outcomes
Non-Partisan Redistricting Advances Community Health Priorities. Without Fair Representation, Community Priorities Can’t Compete. It’s no coincidence that some of our most gerrymandered states have some of the worst health outcomes. Philanthropy can’t solve health inequities alone. But supporting community-led work to secure fair districts can help change the system – and strengthen our democracy – by allowing communities to choose responsive lawmakers who will fight for better health policy.
To Build a Healthier Nation, We Must Have a Fair Count
Every decade, the Census Bureau fulfills a constitutionally-mandated count of every person living in the
United States. Data derived from the Decennial Census and the ongoing American Community Survey form the statistical backbone for public health, hospitals, insurance, and dozens of federal and other government programs. This data is also an important tool for funder decision-making. For funders focused on health equity, quality data is needed to provide a better understanding of health disparities and the advancement of health equity goals.
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Latest Resources
From Recovery to Resilience: Investing in Collaborative Infrastructure for Health and Equity
After the 2018 Camp Fire – the most destructive and deadly wildfire in California’s history – the California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) understood that the community needed more than programming to recover. In response, the region’s Accountable Community for Health (ACH) was created – a community-rooted, cross-sector collaborative that invests in local leadership to shift systems, influence policy, and address both long-standing inequities and urgent crises.
Broken Triangle: A Framework for Reparative Philanthropic Relationships
Traditional philanthropic practices have often created imbalanced power dynamics and barriers for Black-led, Black-serving organizations. When the REACH Healthcare Foundation performed a portfolio review in 2018 that revealed this same exclusion within the foundation’s grantmaking investments, REACH committed to reshaping their funding approach, which aims to repair previously neglected —and in some cases, damaged —relationships.
Act Now to Protect Philanthropy, Medicaid, and SNAP
Right now, Congress is finalizing a massive budget reconciliation bill that threatens philanthropy’s freedom to give and endangers the health and well-being of many millions of Americans. We are reaching out today to raise awareness of three critical developments in the ongoing budget reconciliation process and to encourage you to act.
Health and Well-Being Threatened in The First 100 Days
Statement from GIH President and CEO Cara V. James on First 100 Days
Power to the People: Advancing Impact Through Participatory Budgeting
Who is best positioned to determine how health funding should be allocated? At the Community Health Commission of Missouri (CHCM), we believe the answer is clear: the people most affected by health disparities.
Philanthropy, Stewarding a Just America
In a time of intensive action to dismantle policies and practices that protect the well-being of all Americans, where chaos is the principal strategy to overthrow the will of and care for the American people, philanthropy must remain rooted in what is legally and morally right.
Reports and Publications
Gun Control: A Health Policy Issue?
Although the health-related consequences of gun violence are undeniable, the need for stronger gun control policies to address these health outcomes is hotly contested. Is the field of health philanthropy particularly “gun shy” about engaging in the contentious policy debate surrounding gun control? A number of health funders have supported grants and initiatives related to violence prevention, but relatively few have explicitly recognized gun control as a health policy objective.
Health Advocacy: Yes, No, or Maybe So?
Although engagement in public policy is viewed as a mission-critical strategy by an increasing number of health funders, many foundations are still considering whether and how they should support health advocacy efforts. This Issue Focus article briefly addresses some of the key questions foundations are likely to confront as they determine what role, if any, they should play in the public policy arena.
Public Policy Engagement During an Election Year
Political elections create both challenges and opportunities for foundations seeking to inform and influence the public policy process. Philanthropic organizations have broad latitude to conduct or sponsor a variety of policyrelated activities, and this flexibility includes the ability to promote civic engagement and encourage informed participation in democratic elections.