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) invites philanthropic organizations to sign on to 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. Many people who are otherwise eligible for Medicaid are expected to lose coverage inappropriately as a result of these new eligibility verification requirements.
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) invited philanthropic organizations to sign on to a comment letter responding to a proposed revision of the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Guidance that would place federal grantmaking decisions in the hands of political appointees and make substantial changes to the federal grantmaking process.
If implemented, these revisions could introduce unnecessary uncertainty and administrative complexity across the federal grantmaking ecosystem, while increasing financial and operational risk for nonprofit organizations, philanthropic partners, and the communities they serve. Given the potential impacts on funders and their grantees, we encouraged philanthropic organizations to add their voices to this response.
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
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.”
The One Big Beautiful Bill: Top Tax Takeaways for Nonprofits
This resource provides a rundown on the top tax takeaways for nonprofits from the July 4, 2025, budget reconciliation bill.
Recently Featured
A Compendium of State Policies to Curb Hospital Prices and Reduce Medical Debt
Health care in the United States is the most expensive in the world by far and the reason is simple – health care providers keep increasing the prices of services. Hospitals, which represent the largest component of health care spending, have an outsized influence on medical debt in their communities through their policies and behavior.
Health Policy Update: November 2023
The Health Policy Update is a new monthly newsletter produced in collaboration with Trust for America’s Health. Drawing on GIH’s policy priorities outlined in our policy agenda and our strategic objective of increasing our policy and advocacy presence, the Health Policy Update provides GIH Funding Partners with a range of federal health policy news.
Grantmakers In Aging and Grantmakers In Health Announce Partnership to Support the 2024 Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act
Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) and Grantmakers In Health (GIH) are pleased to announce a new collaboration aimed at mobilizing funders in support of the 2024 reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA).
Philanthropic Joint Statement in Response to the Supreme Court’s Decision in ‘Students for Fair Admissions’ Cases
Grantmakers In Health joined with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation, Health Forward Foundation, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, Grantmakers In the Arts, and 35 other philanthropy organizations in responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today in Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina removing race as a consideration for college admissions.
Gregory Jackson of Community Justice Action Fund to Be Honored with the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy
Gregory Jackson, Executive Director of the Community Justice Action Fund, will receive the 2023 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.