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Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is committed to supporting health funders as they navigate the changing field of philanthropy and to building a more inclusive nonprofit sector.

 

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Latest Resources

We Didn’t Stop: Leading with Purpose When the System Stepped Back

The notice came the way these things now tend to come: abruptly, in writing, and without a transition plan. In April 2025, Public Health AmeriCorps programs were terminated nationally alongside about 900 other AmeriCorps programs. Funding halted. AmeriCorps service members who had built their careers and households around a year of community health service were left waiting for answers no one could give them. Organizations across the country scrambled.

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Foundation for a Healthy St Petersburg

“Philanthropy has a powerful opportunity to not only fill in gaps that address immediate needs but to also help craft a healthier future through a collaborative approach to long-term structural and systemic change. Direct services are often critical to community health; the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg funds such services and will continue to do so as long as our community requires them.”

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Reports

Center for Effective Philanthropy: October 2026

The Center for Effective Philanthropy released Evolving Foundation Responses to a Sector in Crisis. The report finds that foundations are making many changes in response to the current context, but barriers, including risk aversion, contribute to their sense that they have not been very effective in response. Most foundations are providing support beyond grants to the nonprofits they fund, but that support is frequently mismatched to nonprofits’ needs.

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Make Connections to Create a Movement for Rural Health

On Thursday, September 24, the Annual Meeting of the Rural Health Philanthropy Partnership kicked off in downtown Bethesda, MD. Selected highlights from the convening’s first day setting the stage for a full day of sessions and networking opportunities centered on how collaboration can build on progress already underway in rural and tribal communities, including rural health transformation efforts.

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NJ SNIP: Supporting Behavioral Health Access Through Trust-based Grantmaking

Amid shifting federal health care funding, grants that enable health care safety net entities to respond to the changing landscape can unlock immense value. This form of grantmaking puts daily program-related decisions in the hands of people doing the work, allowing organizations to develop and sustain staff positions, workflows, and programs that reflect their priorities.

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Leaning Into Radical Collaboration Will Advance Your Focused Mission

At this year’s GIH annual conference, I found myself surrounded by hundreds of philanthropic leaders deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of their communities. Again and again, I met funders whose work was grounded in a particular place, population, or issue. These funders know their communities intimately. They understand local history, relationships, and the needs of their communities. Their focus is one of their greatest strengths.

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Reports and Publications

Collaboration Across Government and Philanthropy

This Georgetown University Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership report uses data from a recent Grantmakers In Health survey to examine how philanthropy is partnering with government to fill critical gaps.

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Grantmakers In Health Funder Collaboration Survey Report

At a time of deep cuts to health and social services, disappearing public health data, rising health care costs, and resurgent infectious diseases, philanthropy faces an urgent challenge: protecting vulnerable communities and sustaining hard-won health gains. Meeting this moment demands meaningful community engagement, strong coordination among funders, and partnerships that extend beyond the philanthropic sector. Yet despite the importance of these relationships, little is known about how health funders work together. To help fill this gap, GIH conducted research in 2025 to examine collaboration among health funders, highlight successes and challenges, and identify opportunities to strengthen collective impact.

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Advancing the Public’s Health: Current Philanthropic Approaches and Priorities for the Future

This GIH report is grounded in discussions with a diverse set of philanthropic and public health leaders about the current state of the field. It aims to assess how foundations view public health and their guiding frameworks, as well as to identify lessons learned and priorities for strengthening the public health ecosystem.

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Trustee Resources

Explore this page to browse resources, publications, and events related to foundation trustees.