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Q&A: How the Chicago South Side Birth Center is Championing a Better Approach to Maternal Health
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) recently spoke with Jeanine Valrie Logan, Founder + Lead Steward of the Chicago South Side Birth Center, and Shruti Jayaraman, Chief Investments Officer of Chicago Beyond, to learn how the Chicago South Side Birth Center and Chicago Beyond are working together to improve maternal health outcomes for mothers in one of Chicago’s most underserved communities. This interview has been edited for style and clarity.
Investing in Inclusion: How Health Philanthropy Can Prioritize the Needs and Perspectives of Individuals with Disabilities
One in five children in the United States has a special health care need requiring more than routine health services, and one in four adults report having a disability. As 70 million adults and 14.5 million children in the United States have a disability, the population impacted by issues in the aging out process and in the health care system more broadly is far from insignificant. Despite these numbers, disability-related grants represent just 2 percent of total philanthropic giving and are primarily directed towards services and supports that seek to fix or cure disabilities and perpetuate the ableist assumption that people with disabilities are unable to make decisions about their own care.
Merck Foundation: December 2024
Merck Foundation has launched a new initiative – the Collaborative for Equity in Cardiac Care to advance equitable access to high-quality, culturally responsive cardiac care for people living with heart conditions in underserved United States communities. The foundation is committing $17 million over five years to support the development and implementation of innovative, comprehensive programs for cardiac health care across the country as well as promote cross-sectoral collaborations to address barriers to care associated with social drivers of health.
Marin Community Foundation: October 2024
Episcopal Health Foundation’s (EHF) annual poll shows continuing health care affordability and access crisis in Texas. EHF’s poll found that 64 percent of Texans said they skipped or postponed some sort of health care because of the cost. That includes things like check-ups, treatments, tests, filling prescriptions, and dental care. That percentage is slightly down from the 68 percent who said they skipped care last year – the highest percentage in the six-year history of EHF’s poll.
Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation’s Persistent Journey toward Equity
Since 2019, the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF) has embarked upon a journey of perspective transformation—challenging ourselves to know, think, and believe differently so we will decide, engage, and act more equitably. Through consistent commitment and action, our Board of Directors, leadership, and staff have moved equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) work beyond “box checking” activities, institutionalizing long-term, individual, organizational, community, and cultural changes.
Ending Girls’ Incarceration in California is Possible When We Listen to Young People and Invest in Their Healing
The United States leads the world in incarceration rates of women and girls—we account for only 4 percent of the world’s population of women and girls but 30 percent of women held in prison and jails. Many girls are incarcerated not because they pose a threat to the public but because of concerns for their own safety in the community—such as abusive home environments. California incarcerates more girls than any state other than Texas and can lead the way on ending girls’ incarceration nationwide.
Reports and Publications
Behavioral Health Strategies
GIH conducted a survey in late 2024 on funder engagement in behavioral health. This fact sheet, based on a sample of 139 health funders, summarizes the current trends, gaps, successes and challenges for funders. It also highlights philanthropy’s continued commitment to behavioral health while also signaling concern about the upcoming funding environment.
2024 Health Equity Survey: Understanding the Changing Landscape
In 2024, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) surveyed its Funding Partners to understand how their health equity work has evolved. The survey consisted of 40 questions including demographic information, program focus areas, partner engagement, organizational strategy, priority population, successes, and challenges. This report summarizes findings from the Health Equity Survey titled, “Understanding the Changing Landscape.”
2023 Survey Summary: Climate Change Strategies
This infographic summarizes the responses to a Grantmakers In Health funder survey, conducted in May and June 2023, on how philanthropy is addressing climate change, and the barriers and opportunities that exist to support climate-related efforts.