Explore Health Equity and Social Justice Topics

Latest Resources

Practicing What We Preach: Three Tips for Putting Equity at the Heart of a Successful Application Process

Every step of the grant application process
— from initial outreach to final award notification — provides opportunities for funders to either reinforce inequities or dismantle them. The grant application process is often the first barrier that organizations encounter when seeking funding. If designed without an intentional focus on equity, the application process can advantage well-resourced organizations, while disadvantaging equally or better qualified organizations that have fewer resources.

Read More →

Closing Remarks: 2025 Health Policy Exchange

President and CEO of Grantmakers In Health (GIH), Cara V. James, delivered closing remarks at the 2025 Health Policy Exchange, “Protecting the Freedom to Give” in Alrington, Virginia.

Read More →

The Role of Health Philanthropy in Improving Maternal Health for Underserved Populations

Although the United States is a high-income nation, it experiences a significant burden of maternal mortality incidence relative to other countries. In 2023, non-expansion Medicaid states had 27.7 percent higher pregnancy-related deaths than expansion states. The COVID-19 pandemic also exacerbated racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths. Historically, marginalized populations, including low-income populations and Black and Indigenous communities are more vulnerable to preventable pregnancy-related deaths.

Read More →

Designing Inclusive and Equity-Centered Health System Improvement Projects—Lessons from Three Initiatives

Disparities in access to health care persist for individuals with low incomes and Black, Hispanic/Latinx and Native American/Native Alaskan individuals and are particularly acute in behavioral health. Behavioral health care utilization rates among Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults are less than half those of White adults. These disparities exist because of barriers in access such as limited provider networks, poor language access, a lack of culturally-aligned services, and technological barriers to telehealth. Working with health providers to create inclusive and accessible services is essential to building more equitable access to behavioral health care, and to healthier and happier families and communities.

Read More →

Reports and Publications

Selling Healthy Lifestyles: Using Social Marketing to Promote Change and Prevent Disease

Social marketing is increasingly being applied to the promotion of healthier behaviors and the prevention of chronic diseases. This 2 page Issue Focus describes how grantmakers can use social marketing techniques to help people quit smoking or never start, eat a healthier diet, and get more exercise.

Read More →

Erasing the Color Line: Philanthropy’s Role in Eliminating Health Disparities

This resource portfolio on racial and ethnic health disparities contains two-page articles on the following topics: poverty, racism, environmental health, access, healthy behaviors, mental health, workforce diversity, cultural competency, men, women, children, and aging populations.  It also includes a resource list of organizations working on health disparities, key Web sites, and articles.

Read More →

Healthy Behaviors: Addressing Chronic Disease at Its Roots

The development and progression of many chronic diseases are linked to unhealthy behaviors, particularly cigarette smoking and use of other tobacco products, poor diet, and lack of regular exercise. This Issue Focus highlights the many ways that health grantmakers across the country are mobilizing communities, employers, schools, families, and individuals to move toward healthier behaviors.

Read More →