WASHINGTON, DC, March 20, 2024—Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is pleased to announce Billie Hall, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sunflower Foundation in Kansas, as the 2024 recipient of the Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health, and Joan Alker, Executive Director and a cofounder of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families in Washington, DC, as the 2024 recipient of the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.
“Billie Hall and Joan Alker exemplify the core values of both awards, and we are excited to recognize them for their innumerable contributions to the fields of health and health care,” said GIH President and Chief Executive Officer, Cara V. James.
Ms. Hall has been the leader of the Sunflower Foundation since its inception in 2000, guiding the statewide health philanthropy in its mission to serve as a catalyst for improving the health of all Kansans. In selecting her, this year’s committee members cited her as an inspiration for their own work in philanthropy. They were particularly impressed with how Ms. Hall met the challenges of catalyzing systems change, developing partnerships, and supporting communities at their own pace.
For 25 years, Ms. Alker has dedicated her work to addressing issues that affect low- and moderate-income children and families in America. She is a cofounder of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University, which has become a leading voice working to ensure that low-income children and families have access to high-quality affordable health care. In selecting her, this year’s committee members lauded her work to protect millions of eligible people who were at risk of losing Medicaid inappropriately at the end of the national public health emergency.
The awards will be presented to Ms. Hall and to Ms. Alker at the 2024 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy in Portland, Oregon.
About the Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy
First presented by Grantmakers In Health in 1993, the Terrance Keenan Leadership Award recognizes a grantmaker whose work is distinguished by leadership, innovation, achievement, creativity, and boldness.
The award was established in honor of Terrance Keenan and his more than 40 years of service and contributions to the field. By example and instruction, Keenan charged philanthropy with exercising the freedom to invest in leadership and develop new institutions and systems to confront major needs. He encouraged us to embrace both the freedom to fail and the freedom to persist.
About the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy
First presented by Grantmakers In Health in 2017, the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy recognizes a nonprofit or public sector champion who embodies a commitment to principled action, leadership to advance social change, and dedication to making progress in policy and practice despite challenging political environments.
The award pays tribute to Andy Hyman, a smart, passionate, and innovative grantmaker committed to social justice. Hyman asked hard questions, expected honest answers, and never shied away from difficult challenges. Those who knew and worked with him were touched by his humility and his dedication to social justice.
Each year, the award is made possible through the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
About Grantmakers In Health
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations, corporate giving programs, and other philanthropic organizations improve the health of all people. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others and to help strengthen the grantmaking community’s knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. Since its founding in 1982, GIH has developed programming, provided technical assistance, and hosted convenings to help funders learn, connect, and grow.
Contact
Jeff Barrus
Communications Director
Grantmakers In Health
Phone: 202.460.4710
Email: jbarrus@gih.org