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.
Additionally, GIH has a policy agenda that identifies our public policy priorities. Informed by health funders, these priorities guide our programming, influence decisions related to issuing public statements on timely policy issues, and focus our advocacy efforts.
GIH joined organizations filing an amicus brief for the case brought by NY and other states seeking to stop the administration’s attempt to expand citizenship verification requirements under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 for programs administered by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Justice.
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On March 2, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) and 39 co-signers submitted a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Education commenting on a proposed rule that would narrow the definition of which graduate programs qualify as “professional degrees” for federal student loan purposes, affecting how much students in certain health fields may borrow.
“Finalizing this rule could make graduate education less affordable and disrupt health workforce pipelines, potentially discouraging students from entering essential health and human-services professions,” GIH President and CEO Cara V. James wrote in the letter. “Excluding these degrees could limit access to advanced training, exacerbate workforce shortages, and increase health inequities across the country.”
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.
Policy and Advocacy Resources
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.
Department of Health and Human Services Reorganization and Reductions: Explaining the State of Play
Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy Report
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.
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Giving Voice: The Power of Grassroots Advocacy in Shaping Public Policy
Within advocacy work, there exists a wide spectrum of strategies that can be employed to change or shape public policy. Yet, too often, nonprofit health organizations tend to limit themselves to a narrow range of strategies that typically includes education, policy/data analysis, and limited legislative advocacy. While these strategies are important to public policy work, they may not be enough to influence policymakers in today’s increasingly special interest and ideological-driven political system.
2010 Terrance Keenan Award Acceptance Speech
Read about The Commonwealth Fund’s Dr. Mary Jane Koren’s 30 years of work to improve the quality of institutional long-term care, and be inspired by her willingness to take chances on innovation, revisit old ideas, and find treasure among the wreckage.
2009 Terrance Keenan Award Acceptance Speech
Read about Mr. Yates’ groundbreaking work at The California Wellness Foundation and be inspired by his leadership as he guided his organization through unchartered territories and spearheaded a new approach to grantmaking.
A Tribute to Terrance Keenan at the 2009 Annual Meeting Seeing the Future with 20/20 Vision
Terrance Keenan, a founder of Grantmakers In Health (GIH), passed away on February 25 at the age of 85. Known for his leadership, innovation, and compassion, Mr. Keenan was a generous, consummate grantmaker whose career spanned more than 50 years in philanthropy, 46 of which were spent with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
A National Foundation Undertakes a Regional Strategy in the South
The Health Reform Program of the Public Welfare Foundation supports advocacy so that the voices of the people served by the health care system can be informed and effective. Poverty, health disparities, and underfunded advocacy capacity describe the South.
Collaborating Where Health Happens
At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), our mission is to improve health and health care for all Americans. But improving health for the most vulnerable requires acknowledging that factors such as poverty, violence, inadequate housing, and education contribute to poor health.