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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.

 

Featured Resources

bi3 Article: Trust-Based Philanthropy is Grounded in Mutual Accountability and Learning

A new article shows how applying a trust-based philanthropy lens helps funders capture the full impact of grants, describes how bi3 evaluates initiatives, and how building funder-grantee relationships grounded in power-sharing, transparency, and mutual accountability helps achieve greater impact.

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New Competency Model for Foundation Program Officers Released

The Dorothy A. Johnson Center on Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University has released a competency model for foundation program officers.

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Taking A cultivate approach to Improve Community Health

Health foundations are increasingly recognizing that their mission is not simply to award grants to deserving nonprofit organizations, but rather to play a catalytic role in improving the conditions that influence health, especially at a population level.

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Latest Resources

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Crisis Response Toolkit—Being Prepared: Emerging Threats to Health Philanthropy

Recently, a regional health foundation was highlighted on social media by an account that described itself as being “inspired by DOGE.” The specific areas this account raised for critique were taken from publicly available information, including the organization’s 990 Form and its website.

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Cara V. James in Inside Philanthropy on Health Funder Reactions to HHS Cuts

Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Cara V. James was quoted in an Inside Philanthropy article on April 24, 2025, titled “’Bloodbath at HHS’: Health Funding Leaders React to Trump’s Cuts.” The piece discusses how cuts to staff and programs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) threaten critical health services across the country—from cancer research to Meals on Wheels—and how leaders in health philanthropy are responding to the carnage.

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Crisis Readiness Resources

We encourage GIH Funding Partners to prepare or review their crisis communications strategies and legal response plans for potential actions by the administration against philanthropy or nonprofits.

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Power to the People: Advancing Impact Through Participatory Budgeting

Who is best positioned to determine how health funding should be allocated? At the Community Health Commission of Missouri (CHCM), we believe the answer is clear: the people most affected by health disparities.

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Reports and Publications

Public-Private Collaboration to Catalyze Adoption of Evidence-Based Practices

Working together, public and private funders can create lasting health improvements in the communities they serve. Foundations and state health agencies often have the same goals; they may even fund the same organizations, programs, and individuals.

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Update from the Field: Results of Grantmakers In Health’s 2015 Survey of Foundations Formed from Health Care Conversions

GIH’s Update from the Field provides a fresh, comprehensive profile of foundations formed from transactions involving nonprofit hospitals, health systems, health plans, and other health entities. Health conversion foundations have become a significant force in the philanthropic sector.

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Guide to Impact Investing

This report builds on the 2011 GIH Guide to Impact Investing report with new information about the growth of the impact investment field, case studies of recent innovative investment techniques and projects, and an appendix on terminology, investment portfolio approaches, and strategies for financing impact investments.

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Trustee Resources

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