Upcoming Webinars
Roundtable Discussion: Health Funders Communication and Policy Staff
Grantmakers in Health is pleased to host a second joint call for the GIH Policy Staff Learning Community and the GIH Communications Staff Learning Community. We will discuss the importance of communicating about policy changes in meaningful ways that engage communities and partners. In this informal conversation, we will swap strategies, illuminate solutions, and make connections. We will also use the time to dig in on a topic that was raised during the January 27 call: supporting policy, messaging, or other work related to the upcoming elections (such as governors’ races, mid-terms, ballot initiatives, etc.).
SNAP Funder Working Group: Food Restriction Waivers
This Working Group Call will examine the rise of state waivers restricting the type of food that can be purchased with SNAP benefits, how retailers are navigating these changes, and what we might learn from the evaluations. To date, USDA has approved food restriction waivers in 22 states and incentivized waiver applications by tying them to increased funding for the Rural Health Transformation Program. USDA claims that these waivers are meant to “restore nutritional value in SNAP.” However, five SNAP recipients in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, and West Virginia sued the department in March, challenging these restrictions as harmful, unlawful, and burdensome.
Speakers from the National Governors Association, the National Grocers Association, and the University of Illinois Chicago will discuss the state-level decision-making process to apply for a waiver, the impact of these waivers on retailer participation in SNAP, and the public and private evaluation methods being used to assess whether the restrictions have any meaningful impact on nutrition for participants. The Center for Science in the Public Interest will also share strategic thinking about how they are exploring opportunities to engage in this continuously evolving political climate.
CEO Working Group Webinar
Grantmakers In Health is 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. These calls are open to GIH Funding Partner CEOs, Presidents, or Executive Directors. During these candid, confidential conversations, philanthropic leaders share information, swap strategies, raise concerns, and ask for one another’s advice. Reach out to Ann Rodgers to learn more.
Passed in July 2025, H.R. 1 is now entering its implementation phase, with significant implications on state operations and budgets—particularly related to changes in Medicaid and SNAP programs. In this webinar, we will explore H.R. 1 implementation with two organizations that are dedicating resources to tracking its impact and supporting states as they respond. Speakers include: Alison Betty of alignco, Patti Boozang of Manatt Health, and Timothy Shaw of Aspen Institute.
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. Between calls, members interact with one another in GIH’s online learning community for policy staff.
GIH Webinar Recordings and Resources
Leadership Discussion on Rural Health
Over the years, Grantmakers In Health has helped funders in their work of partnering with and improving the health outcomes of rural communities.
Learning from New State Initiatives in Financing Long-Term Services and Supports
Current federal policies do not adequately meet the needs of individuals and communities, which has caused several pioneering states to move forward with innovative new approaches to financing these vital supports and services. Participants learned the efforts of six such states, including the important lessons, opportunities, and challenges they have faced in moving reform initiatives forward.
Save the Census: A Final Push for a Fair and Accurate Count
This webinar featured a timely status update on census response, advocacy, and litigation efforts to ensure a fair and accurate census, and to discuss funding strategies to evaluate and address the quality of the data.
If Not Now, When? Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care
Participants learned key highlights, and recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report, “Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation’s Health.”
Philanthropy’s Role in Fostering Grantee Resilience and Managing Secondary Trauma
Leaders from the field released findings and recommendation for action from our recently concluded national research project on secondary trauma.
COVID-19, Drug Policy, and Racial Justice
Efforts to reduce reliance on the criminal justice system and instead increase access to community-based harm reduction, mental health, and substance use services are underway across the country. This webinar featured a discussion on federal, state, and local efforts to strengthen social safety nets and expand access to effective overdose prevention and harm reduction interventions.
Open Enrollment Opportunities and Challenges
This webinar provided an overview of strategies for reaching the newly uninsured and a discussion of potential solutions for the outreach challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.