SNAP Strategy Funder Working Group: Advocacy Opportunities
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health are forming a funder Working Group for a coordinated, strategic response to the SNAP cuts in H.R. 1. The Working Group comes as an actionable response to insights shared by field leaders in a SNAP-focused webinar earlier in October.
Recognizing the far-reaching implications of SNAP for food security, health, and economic equity, this Working Group will serve as an information hub and a strategic coordination space, designed to help funders act quickly, effectively, and in alignment with one another. We will organize three Working Group meetings to start and then assess next steps.
The first call will focus on opportunities for funders to support and engage in policy advocacy to protect SNAP on a federal and state level. In addition to connecting with peers, funders will hear from Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, who will provide a policy landscape update from D.C., and Joey Hentzler, Program Manager at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, who will share about MAZON’s policy engagement and rapid response funding.
Safeguarding Medicaid and SNAP in the Wake of H.R. 1
As H.R. 1 begins to reshape the landscape of safety programs, charitable foundations face a pivotal moment. The legislation delivers sweeping tax cuts to corporations and high-income earners—while dramatically reducing funding for essential programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These cuts threaten the well-being of millions of families, children, and seniors, and shift the financial burden to already overstretched state and local governments.
Now more than ever, philanthropic organizations must act swiftly and strategically to mitigate harm. A key opportunity lies in supporting states as they navigate urgent administrative and implementation challenges—ensuring vulnerable populations don’t fall through the cracks.
The Future of Rural Health and Well-Being: Findings from a Landscape Analysis and Listening Sessions
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) and the National Rural Health Association (NRHA), with support from the Georgia Health Policy Center(GHPC), are leading an initiative to reimagine rural health and well-being by aligning systems and resources to achieve optimal health for all individuals living in rural America. As part of this effort, the Georgia Health Policy Center conducted a landscape analysis highlighting a sampling of a cross-section of organizations and leaders in rural health and hosted two national listening sessions of key stakeholders.
Developing a Funding Strategy In Response to SNAP Cuts
The scale and scope of the $186 billion in SNAP cuts included in the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) are staggering and could force millions to lose their benefits. There is a need to identify clear national, state, and local strategies for diverse capital partners to address the structural harm to SNAP and widespread negative impacts on hunger, health, nutrition and economic security posed by this legislation.
For the first 45 minutes of this call, speakers will share insights into emerging needs for advocacy, technical assistance, strategic communications, and other areas, in both the short and long term. Following Q&A with our panel, there will be a funder-only conversation to reflect on how organizations are responding, what is being funded, and how we could collaborate.
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.
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.