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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Reports and Publications

Weighing in on Obesity: America’s Growing Health Epidemic

The country is facing double threats: a dramatic increase in rates of overweight and obesity among children and adults, and an accompanying increase in diabetes and other conditions that threaten the lives and health of the nation’s population. This Issue Brief helps health grantmakers understand the nature of today’s epidemic and explore ways they can play a role in identifying and promoting effective prevention and intervention strategies, including tackling the root causes of the problem.

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Building Healthy Communities

This GIH Issue Focus examines the underlying principles of healthy communities.

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Strategies for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health

This GIH Issue Focus s highlights racial and ethnic health disparities, explores their roots, and describes activities that foundations are undertaking to eliminate them.

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