Grantmakers In Health (GIH) mourns the loss of John W. Murphy, a founding member and former board chair of GIH, and 1999 recipient of the Terrance Keenan Leadership Award. He died on October 22, 2025, at age 88.
Murphy was a visionary leader and transformative force in health philanthropy, serving as the former President and CEO of the Flinn Foundation in Arizona until 2009. He was instrumental in the creation of the Flinn Scholars Program, Arizona’s Bioscience Roadmap, and many other initiatives that continue to have a lasting impact across Arizona. Murphy also offered support to other foundations emerging in Arizona, echoing GIH’s founding principles and mission of achieving better health for all through better philanthropy. Prior to joining the Flinn Foundation, Murphy was a founding staff member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
GIH honors Murphy’s enduring legacy and his unwavering commitment to improving health and strengthening the field of philanthropy. For more information, please see the Flinn Foundation’s statement.