Resolutions for a Revolution in Philanthropy
Heading into the new year, we are now asking one another, “What risks did our foundations take during these past two years that we may want to continue? What has philanthropy done differently over the last two years that perhaps has made our sector more effective, inclusive, and responsive? We highlight three ways our foundations changed for the better during the pandemic, strategies funders are using to support building or shifting power to nonprofit partners.
From Now On Fund
In both the US and internationally, Direct Relief’s support mobilizes private philanthropic resources to address chronic gaps in access to quality health services for people who have the fewest resources, face heightened health risks with highly limited options, rank highest on social vulnerability indices, and experience poor health and outcomes disproportionately.
The Long View: New Year, New Practices
Co-designed by the Rippel Foundation and Grantmakers In Health, this webinar featured Cassie Robinson, a futurist and philanthropic leader who works, as she describes it, in the “entanglement of what-is and what-might-be.”
Roundtable Discussion for Funders with Limited Assets
Foundations with assets less than $30 million face unique challenges as they seek to maximize their impact in the communities they serve. At this informal networking session, peers had a robust conversation around the most important issues.
Sustaining Changes in Foundation Practices
A new report from the Center for Effective Philanthropy explores how foundation practices have shifted in the last 18 months and whether those changes will be sustained in the future. Foundations Respond to Crisis: Lasting Change? documents shifts in how foundations identify applicants, reductions in administrative burdens for grantees, increases in unrestricted funding, and new efforts to advance racial equity.
Direct Relief
In both the US and internationally, Direct Relief’s support mobilizes private philanthropic resources to address chronic gaps in access to quality health services for people who have the fewest resources, face heightened health risks with highly limited options, rank highest on social vulnerability indices, and experience poor health and outcomes disproportionately.
The Long View: FORESIGHT in Philanthropy
In order to meet this moment, The Rippel Foundation has launched a series of informative and interactive webinars for funders. The first call in the series, was codesigned by Grantmakers In Health, and we heard from futurist Richard Lum of Vision, Foresight, Strategy. Dr. Lum led a conversation on how foundations can orient their work towards an equitable horizon, and what practices can begin to bridge to this future. Participants finished the hour with an understanding of how to assess where they are today plus how to marshal the resources and will to begin building more equitable and innovative pathways.
Foundation for a Healthy High Point
Local health philanthropy has evolved over the years, moving away from funding direct services to becoming strategic change agents, offering community leadership, and promoting collaboration. Place-based health legacy foundations can leverage impact beyond our grantmaking, using our resources to help set agendas and fuel system improvements. By convening and partnering with regional nonprofits and the public and private sectors, we can achieve sustainable solutions to entrenched health challenges.
Terrance Keenan Institute Alumni Network Convening
Grantmakers In Health was pleased to convene the Terrance Keenan Institute alumni network for a dialogue exploring how health funders are investing in people, becoming more creative about the roles foundations can play, and rethinking risk.
Update from the Field: Results of Grantmakers In Health’s 2021 Review of Health Care Conversion Foundations
GIH’s Update from the Field: Results of Grantmakers In Health’s 2021 Review of Health Care Conversion Foundations documents the continued growth and evolution of this important sector within health philanthropy. This article and foundation directory highlight the growing diversity of the field and provide benchmarking data on more than 300 foundations.