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.

Explore Population Health Topics

Latest Resources

Ingredients for a Healthy School Lunch Movement

From a comfortable distance, the solution to the childhood obesity problem sounds deceptively easy: children need to move more and eat healthier foods. Yet, as you examine the many causes of childhood obesity, the simple solution is not quite as simple as it sounds. Encouraging children to adopt healthy habits is challenging because unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyles are engrained in our culture.

Read More →

Paving the Way for Change: Implementing CLASS

The historic passage of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was in many ways a homerun for health advocates who have been working toward meaningful reform for decades. The new law lays the groundwork for sweeping changes in the American health care system, expanding access, coverage, and personal responsibility for care suited to individual needs.

Read More →

Lights, Camera, Take Action: Spotlighting Public Health for the Next Generation

What do zombies, “Salad Man,” and Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant have in common? They have all played a role in Northwest Health Foundation’s efforts to bring the importance of a fully functioning public health system into the hearts and minds of the people – especially the youth – of Oregon.

Read More →
Better Health Through Better Philanthropy - Grantmakers in Health

Foundation Collaboration: Partnering to Improve Young Children’s Oral Health

Dental disease is the single most common chronic childhood disease and is so widespread and the health effects so significant that the U.S. Surgeon General has classified dental disease as a silent epidemic (HHS 2000).

Read More →

It Takes Many Villages to Create a Public Health Improvement Plan

Public health has gained attention in Colorado over the last four years as a result of a partnership that includes health foundations, the Colorado School of Public Health, the state legislature, and state and local health agencies.

Read More →

Paid Sick Days: A Health Policy for Everyone

When the H1N1 pandemic broke out, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged sick people to stay home. Unfortunately, for many Americans, staying home meant losing income, losing a good shift, or worse, losing their job.

Read More →

Publications and Reports

2024 Survey Summary: Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies

GIH conducted a survey in September 2024 about funder engagement in firearm violence prevention. This fact sheet summarizes the survey results with a total sample of 81 health funders. This public health crisis and social justice issue is preventable, and health funders have an important role to play in advancing firearm violence prevention efforts.

Read More →

Progress Report: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Campaign

In October 2023, Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) and Grantmakers In Health (GIH) launched an 18-month initiative to engage funders in the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA). This report highlights key activities and takeaways and previews future programming.

Read More →

Fact Sheet: Five Ways Congress Can Strengthen the Older Americans Act, and What Philanthropy Can Do

First signed into law in 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) provides critical services that address the social drivers of health for older adults such as nutrition, transportation, senior centers, elder rights protections, caregiver support, and health promotion. A popular, bipartisan, and effective law, the OAA is set to expire on September 30, 2024, if it is not reauthorized. Foundations play a critical role at every stage of the OAA, from the time Congress begins reauthorizing the law, to the appropriation of funding, to the implementation of OAA programs. Now is the time to act.

Read More →

Connect With Funder Peers on Population Health

Interested in exchanging strategies, information, and questions with your funder peers? Sign up for GIH E-Forums.