Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is pleased to release our 2026 Policy Priorities Agenda. Now more than ever, philanthropic organizations must act decisively and strategically to improve the conditions in communities that impact health and to protect communities from harm. We hope these priorities will inspire the field of health philanthropy and encourage greater collaboration and commitment to common policy goals. GIH looks forward to working with funders and others to advance this agenda.
Grantmakers In Health’s strategic plan elevates leadership and influence as one of four strategic pillars for our work. GIH seeks to take a more active role in defining the key issues that will advance better health for all, including by supporting health philanthropy to create lasting impact by influencing advocacy, policy, and funding in targeted areas.
To deliver on this, GIH has partnered with Leavitt Partners, a leading health care policy consultancy, to develop a set of policy, advocacy, and legal strategy resources that aim to inform funders about the important health policy trends in the White House and Congress.
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is grateful to the 30 co-signatories who joined us in submitting a comment letter responding to a proposed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Interim Final Rule requiring adult Medicaid beneficiaries to work or perform community service for 80 hours per month or risk losing their Medicaid benefits.
If implemented, the Interim Final Rule would create procedural barriers to coverage for eligible individuals and families, while imposing significant administrative burdens across the Medicaid ecosystem, including for beneficiaries, community-based organizations (CBOs), and health care providers.
GIH Health Policy Update Newsletter
An Exclusive Resource for GIH Funding Partners
GIH’s Health Policy Update newsletter, published twice a month, is an essential resource for helping our Funding Partners to better understand the changing federal health policy landscape.
Policy and Advocacy Resources
Summary of Medicaid Community Engagement Interim Final Rule
Department of Health and Human Services Reorganization and Reductions: Explaining the State of Play
Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy Report
Regulatory Comment Writing
This resource provides an overview of how to write and submit a regulatory comment to the federal register.
2026 Federal Health Policy Timeline
This timeline previews expected regulatory and legislative health policy events in 2026.
Funding Partners interested in state legislative sessions should visit NCSL’s State Legislative Session Calendar.
2026 Congressional Calendar
When each house of congress will be in session in 2026.
Overview of the 119th Congress
A detailed overview of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, including leadership in both houses and key committee and subcommittee members.
Congressional Staff and Member Outreach
A detailed overview of how congressional offices, committees, and leadership are staffed. In addition, it provides recommended best practices for meeting with Members of Congress and their staff.
Upcoming Policy & Advocacy Events
Legal Strategy Resources
Select Legal Challenges Relevant to Health Funders in 2026
This resource highlights key court cases that could affect health funders, their communities, and their partners. It focuses on legal challenges to changes in federal programs and policies implemented by the current Administration. The brief also highlights significant cases related to health funders’ priorities. Understanding these cases can help funders anticipate changes in federal policy, assess potential implications, and identify opportunities to support or protect health programs and services.
Administration Actions Targeting Domestic Terrorism and Their Implications for Nonprofits
This resource provides an overview of the legal implications of the September 22, 2025 executive order designating certain groups as engaging in domestic terrorism.
U.S. Attorney General Issues New Guidance on DEI Programs and Policies
This resource provides an overview of a Department of Justice memorandum from the Attorney General on the application of federal antidiscrimination laws to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs the administration alleges involve “discriminatory practices.”
Recently Featured
Cara V. James Speaks Up on Federal Disruption with Inside Philanthropy
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) President and CEO Cara V. James was interviewed for an Inside Philanthropy article published on April 30, 2025. The piece outlines philanthropy’s reactions to the sweeping cuts to public health infrastructure in the United States, the consequences of these cuts, and the importance of remaining committed to our values.
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.
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.
Health Policy Update: April 17, 2025
In an effort to help our Funding Partners better understand the changing health policy landscape in the new administration and Congress, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is expanding the GIH Health Policy Update newsletter to three issues per month. Working in collaboration with Leavitt Partners, a leading health care policy consultancy, we are adding new installments of the newsletter on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, while we will continue to partner with Trust for America’s Health on the installment released on the second Wednesday of the month.
Grantmakers In Health Announces 2025 Award Winners
Grantmakers In Health is pleased to announce Elizabeth Ripley of the Mat-Su Health Foundation in Alaska, as the 2025 recipient of the Terrance Keenan Leadership Award, and Jane Perkins of the National Health Law Program in Washington, DC, as the 2025 recipient of the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.
Standing Together in Perilous Times
GIH urges our Funding Partners and others in our community to join us in signing onto this public statement—we stand a better chance together than if we go it alone.