Upcoming Webinars
Values, Voice, and H.R. 1: When Should Foundations Speak Out?
The stakes for health remain high in 2026 as implementation of H.R. 1 ushers in harmful changes to health and social safety net programs. Foundations are increasingly speaking publicly about the damaging effects of these and other federal actions on the health of communities. This webinar will explore when and how to issue a public statement. Chrystal Okonta, Director of FGS Global’s Health team, will discuss key factors when crafting a public statement such as urgency, mission alignment, and organizational capacity. Kerry Jones Waring, Vice President for Communications at the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, will share the foundation’s decision process, advice for crafting messages, and managing feedback.
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.
GIH Webinar Recordings and Resources
Using the Telenovela to Increase Latino Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP
This audioconference explored Encrucijada, and shared how funders could adapt and license the series for broadcast in their own community.
Kids’ Access Funders Network February Call
On this call, Jocelyn Guyer, co-executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families (CCF), discussed the recently proposed ACA rules on eligibility and enrollment systems, and their implications for children and families.
Building Stronger Systems of Care to Improve Child Health
In this webinar funders drew on their experiences implementing and evaluating early childhood systems-building initiatives in two states in order to reflect upon successes and lessons learned from their systems-building work.
Developing/Revitalizing Aging and Disability Stakeholder Coalitions
This webinar discussed the time-sensitive need for robust state-based aging and disability stakeholder coalitions.
Essential Health Benefits: Balancing Coverage and Cost
This webinar discussed next steps in the determination process, and why this is important to consumers and other stakeholders, including foundations.
The Latino Community and the ACA
On this webinar, participants learned more about the new communications campaign the Herndon Alliance, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, the Hispanic Federation, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and the National Council of La Raza are mounting.
Health Funders and Fiscal Policy
This audioconference explored the role of health philanthropy in supporting research and advocacy related to these “non-traditional” policy domains.
Bringing Excellence to Scale: A Conversation with CMS Administrator Donald Berwick
Participants joined this webinar to talk with CMS Administrator Donald Berwick about how health philanthropy can support three initiatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—Partnership for Patients, Million Hearts, and Innovation Advisors—that aim to jump start the transformation of the health care delivery system.