Policy and Advocacy Resources

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.

Overview of the Executive Branch
A detailed overview of the U.S. executive branch, including the White House, Cabinet, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including organizational charts of key members of the White House policy team and HHS leadership.
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.
Grantmakers In Health’s five-year 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. We are also supporting health philanthropy with the thought leadership and programming to create lasting impact by influencing advocacy, policy, and funding in targeted areas.
This policy agenda identifies our public policy priorities for the coming year. Informed by health funders, these priorities will guide our programming, influence decisions related to issuing public statements on timely policy issues, and focus our emerging advocacy efforts. We hope these priorities will also inspire the field of health philanthropy and encourage greater collaboration and commitment to common policy goals among funders. We look forward to working with funders and others to advance this agenda.
GIH Health Policy Update Newsletter
An Exclusive Resource for GIH Funding Partners
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.
GIH Advocacy for the Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA)
The OAA provides critical services that address the social drivers of health for older adults. Grantmakers In Health (GIH) and Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) are partnering to engage funders in advancing the reauthorization of this important piece of legislation.
Upcoming Policy & Advocacy Events
Resources from Policy & Advocacy Events
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Census 2020 Philanthropic Investments are Innovation in Action
The United States census, taken every 10 years, is vital to the philanthropic and business sectors, government, and communities across our country. The federal government allocates over $800 billion each year to states using formulas that rely on census data like population size and other demographic indicators.
EITC Pooled Fund: Lessons on Ideas, Innovation and Impact
Since 2011, Economic Opportunity Funders (EOF) has been working to increase public support for state EITCs through the EITC Pooled Fund (The Fund). We provide a table around which multiple funders can align support to work on an area of mutual interest, and a mechanism by which funders can quickly and collaboratively deploy funding to help meet the needs of the field.
Trends in Health Philanthropy: Leveraging Policy Change
Over the years, GIH has developed considerable programming to help funders learn from one another about effective policy change strategies, to increase awareness of what is legally possible, and to decrease anxiety about emerging strategies.
Gun Violence Prevention Infographic (2018)
Gun violence is a public health crisis in the United States, with approximately 120,000 Americans injured or killed by guns each year. GIH surveyed Funding Partners in June 2018 to explore investments in gun violence prevention and found that health funders who support gun violence prevention efforts are investing in a wide range of prevention strategies, including support for high-risk populations and policy advocacy. The survey results have been compiled into a one-page summary infographic.
Cone Health Foundation is Taking the Long View: Public Policy Advocacy
To date, Cone Health Foundation has made grant investments of $86 million, spread over 1,500 grants in four priority areas (access to care, adolescent pregnancy prevention, HIV, and mental health and substance use disorders).