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.
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GIH Comments on the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan Framework for FY27–FY31
GIH submitted a comment in response to a Request for Information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan Framework for FY27–FY31. The Strategic Plan outlines NIH’s vision for biomedical research direction, capacity, and stewardship, and lays out NIH’s proposed priorities over the next five years.
Cultivating Health Through Shared Prosperity and Street Food
A native of Fresno, I was raised in California’s Central Valley where I have now worked for a few decades. As a first-generation college student, my lived experience is very common for the children of farmworkers. My extended Mexican family was big, poor, uninsured, and suffered many losses from violence and preventable illnesses.
Bridging the Gap: How the Collaborative Care Model is Transforming Maternal Mental Health in Los Angeles
In California, as in the rest of the United States, the statistics regarding maternal mental health are alarming. Approximately one in five mothers suffers from mood and anxiety disorders during the perinatal period, which extends from pregnancy through one year postpartum. Yet, despite this high prevalence, the overwhelming majority of these women do not receive treatment. The barriers are systemic and multifaceted, including but not limited to behavioral health workforce shortages; a lack of integration between primary, perinatal, and behavioral health care; inadequate training for maternity care providers; and stigma.
Funding Without Alignment Is Just Spending: Colorado’s Model for Alignment to Maximize Impacts on Youth Well-being
Public funding for youth well-being isn’t lacking in effort or investment. But when dollars move through disconnected systems, even the best intentions can fail to translate into meaningful outcomes. What if the challenge isn’t how much we fund, but how those investments work together? Colorado is testing a different approach: aligning funding, data, and strategy across agencies so that public dollars can operate as a more coordinated system rather than a collection of parallel but sometimes siloed efforts.
Beyond Innovation: How Philanthropy Can Strengthen Systems to Improve Rural Health Outcomes
Sometimes innovation in philanthropy is associated with breakthrough technologies or new medical discoveries. But some of the most impactful investments fund something less visible: the coordination of people, protocols, and institutions already in place so they work together seamlessly to save lives.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Health
GIH President and CEO Cara V. James offers reflections on the theme for the 2026 Annual Conference
Publications and Reports
Partnering to Improve Public Health
The public health system is the nation’s first line of defense against many threats, both naturally occurring and manmade. It ensures the public’s health and safety by identifying and tracking disease, protecting food and water supplies, educating the public on a variety of health issues, and responding to disasters.
In Harm’s Way: Aiding Children Exposed to Trauma
Every year, thousands of children nationwide experience trauma as a result of exposure to violence, abuse, or disasters. These traumatic events create intense stress that threatens children’s mental health and well-being. Fortunately, early intervention and access to appropriate treatment services can ameliorate the immediate and long-term effects of exposure to trauma.
Improving the Health and Well-being of Children in Foster Care
As a group, children in foster care may be the unhealthiest children in America. They are substantially more likely to have health problems than children in other groups at risk for poor health status, including children in low-income families, homeless children, and children in families receiving public assistance.
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