Explore Health Equity and Social Justice Topics

Latest Resources

Summary of Medicaid Community Engagement Interim Final Rule

This Grantmakers In Health policy resource provides an overview of the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services interim final rule with comment period implementing Medicaid “community engagement” or work requirements enacted in the FY 2025 reconciliation law.

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Health Philanthropy Working at the Intersections Between Critical Issues

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health is more than this year’s Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy theme; it is the foundation for every planned session, unexpected learning moment, and conversation in Baltimore from June 8-11. The pre-conference kicked off with a range of discussions centered on the theme, including the state of Medicaid after H.R. 1, the connection between democracy and better health outcomes, and collaborations in public health funding.

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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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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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Reports

Funders Together for Housing Justice: March 2026

A new publication has been released: Caring Collectively: How Health Funders Can Step into the Movement for Housing Justice to End Homelessness. It is designed to support how health-focused foundations can engage in housing justice work in ways that align with their existing priorities.

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Reports and Publications

Supportive Housing: Strengthening Communities, Improving Health

Supportive housing has emerged as an innovative and comprehensive intervention that addresses the health inequities associated with housing instability, affordability, and homelessness. In this model, housing is combined with wraparound services such as primary and behavioral health care, case management, financial assistance, and legal counseling.

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Philanthropy and Community Development: Partners In Health

Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are funding projects across the nation to support health care centers and clinics, grocery stores with healthy food options, and healthy housing. Read this Issue Focus on how CDFIs are a valuable potential partner for health philanthropy.

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The Cuban Prescription: Human-Centered Care

Earlier this year, members of Grantmakers In Health’s board and senior staff visited Havana, Cuba, with MEDICC, an organization licensed by the U.S.Department of the Treasury to conduct people-to-people trips to Cuba. The primary objectives of the trip were to see the Cuban approach to health in action, and to consider whether there were takeaway lessons for the U.S. health system.

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