Maternal Mental Health and Immigrant and Refugee Women, Parents and Communities
Pregnant and parenting immigrant, migrant, and refugee women are navigating a landscape marked by uncertainty, fear, and systemic exclusion—conditions that profoundly affect their physical and mental health during the perinatal and postpartum periods and throughout their lifespan. Amid increasingly punitive immigration policies, including family separation, detention, and deportation without due process, these women and their families face extraordinary challenges that endanger their mental health and wellbeing and that of their children. Compounding these harms are policy barriers such as the public charge rule, attacks on birthright citizenship, and exclusion from health coverage and other vital services. These stressors contribute to a growing but under-recognized crisis in maternal mental health, with long-term consequences for families and communities.
Roundtable Discussion for Health Funders’ Policy Staff
A growing number of health funders employ staff whose responsibilities focus exclusively or predominantly on public policy engagement. Do you lead your organization’s policy or government affairs work? During our roundtable discussion we connected with peers, explored pressing issues, and shared experiences to engage communities in setting funders’ policy priorities. Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the director of State Health Policy and Data at KFF, joined the call to speak about how the provisions in the 2025 budget reconciliation law will likely affect states and other policy trends related to Medicaid and state budgets.
CEO Working Group Webinar: August Convening
Grantmakers In Health was pleased to convene the CEO Working Group to discuss challenges in our work and opportunities for collaboration as we move forward to achieve our health missions under the new administration. Experts provided an overview of recent legislation, the impact on health and health care, and what foundation leaders can do to support communities and nonprofits in the next six months. Speakers included Joan Alker of Georgetown Children and Families and Sara Singleton of Leavitt Partners.
Health Care Policy in 2025: What Comes Next?
President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law on July 4, 2025, enacting historic cuts to Medicaid, the ACA marketplace, SNAP, and more – via work requirements, copays, and stricter eligibility verifications. According to analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, the new law will increase the number of people without health insurance in the United States by 11.8 million by 2034. Health policy experts warn that these changes will exacerbate health access issues, worsen health disparities, and threaten the financial viability of rural hospitals. In this webinar, experts from Leavitt Partners provided an overview of the recent legislation, the impact on health and health care, and what foundations can do to support communities and nonprofits in the next six months. Speakers included Laura Pence, and Sara Singleton from Leavitt Partners, and Kristina Ramos Callan from Health Management Associates.
GIA Member Meetup: Public Funding Cuts & Philanthropy
Cohosted with Grantmakers In Aging
We discussed how philanthropy is responding to public funding cuts. Funders shared what their organizations are doing to support grantees that are being impacted by reductions in public funding. Finally, we brainstormed strategies with other funders and shared how GIA and GIH can help.
Roundtable Discussion for Health Funders’ Policy Staff
A growing number of health funders employ staff whose responsibilities focus exclusively or predominantly on public policy engagement. Do you lead your organization’s policy or government affairs work? In this informal roundtable discussion, we connected with peers, explored pressing issues, and shared experiences to engage communities in setting funders’ policy priorities.
On this webinar, we heard from Sean McCluskie, Former Chief of Staff at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), regarding his reflections on the current health policy environment, as well as his advice for funders engaging in policy.
Philanthropy’s Role in Protecting Public Health
In recent months, negative sentiment and rhetoric against our country’s public health system has led to a variety of policy decisions, ranging from defunding local public health departments to undercutting and dismantling key systems and infrastructure. These actions will have profound and far-reaching consequences for our nation’s health. Join this call to discuss the impact of recent state and federal actions on local health departments, how health funders are investing in their communities’ public health, and what grantmakers can do to protect public health. Speakers include Lori Freeman of National Association of County & City Health Officials, Avital Havusha of New York Health Foundation, and Brian Williams of Missouri Foundation for Health.