Letter from the President, Views from the Field, Grantmaker Focus, and more…

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021

From the President - 40 Years and Future-Focused: Announcing GIH’s New Strategic Plan
As we approach our 40th year of supporting philanthropy—we at GIH have been reflecting on how the field is evolving, what is needed to achieve better health, and what our role in this work can be. We’ve asked for guidance on what we do well and where we can improve. And we’ve reflected on your feedback, reaffirmed our mission and values, and identified intended outcomes. The result is our new five-year strategic plan.
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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD

The Time is Now: A Call for Philanthropic Engagement in the Implementation of the New 988 Mental Health Crisis Hotline

Melissa M. Beck, Esq. Executive Director, The Sozosei Foundation

The Sozosei Foundation believes that 988 provides a once in a lifetime philanthropic opportunity to create the mental health and crisis response services that, frankly, have never been properly resourced. We believe that this will help to decriminalize mental illness and significantly move the needle on our overarching goal of eliminating the use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.

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*Not pictured

VIEWS FROM THE FIELD

Moving the Needle on Black Birth Equity - A Call to Action

Stephanie Teleki, Director, Learning and Impact, California Health Care Foundation
Tenesha Duncan, Principal, Birth Equity, Tara Health Foundation
Kindra Montgomery-Block*, Formerly Associate Director, Community & Economic Development, Sierra Health Foundation
Lourdes Rodriguez, Senior Program Officer, St. David’s Foundation
Monique Shaw, Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Philanthropy has an urgent responsibility and opportunity to address the structural factors leading to birth inequities. Healthier pregnancies, labors, and postpartum recoveries not only benefit birthing individuals, but also result in healthier children and families. Focusing attention on those who need it most could have positive implications for entire communities harmed by systemic racism for future generations. There is much work to do, but not enough philanthropic organizations are supporting these issues to tackle them at scale. We need all hands-on deck to truly move the needle. We five funders— from different states and coming to this issue from different angles—are reaching out to our fellow funders with a call to action to join us to in this work.

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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD

Freedom to Thrive: How Health Funders Can Support Transgender Communities

Kris Hayashi, Executive Director, Transgender Law Center and Board Member, The California Endowment
Alexander Lee, Project Director, Grantmakers United for Trans Communities, Funders for LGBTQ Issues

Despite well-documented disparities in health and well-being, according to Funders for LGBTQ Issues, for every $100 awarded by U.S. foundations in 2018, only 4 cents directly supported transgender communities. GIH Program Director Ann McMillan sat down with Kris Hayashi and Alexander Lee to learn more about how health funders can support transgender communities.

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Grantmaker Focus – Thomas Tighe, President & CEO, Direct Relief
“In both the U.S. 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 inequitable effects of COVID being experienced in these communities present an urgent challenge immediately and for the near term, but COVID’s effects have also led to a worsening of the chronic pressing issues that existed before. This presents a two-track, simultaneous challenge to bolster the frontline facilities with regard to COVID-specific efforts and ensure that they sustain to address the significant pre-COVID challenges that have been exacerbated.”
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GIH NEWS

Announcement Icon
Days Remain to Recognize An Outstanding Grantee or Grantmaker
GIH is currently accepting nominations for the 2022 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy and 2022 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy. The awards will be designated to individuals who have made innumerable contributions in the fields of health and health care, and who exemplify the core values of the awards. Funders interested in submitting a nomination should review the award brochures, which outline eligibility and submission guidelines. All nominations must be received by Friday, December 3. Don't miss this opportunity to recognize a grantee or grantmaker's outstanding work in this critical and challenging year!
Welcoming New GIH Funding Partners
GIH is pleased to welcome CTIA Wireless Foundation, Direct Relief Fund, and From Now on Fund as new Funding Partners!
Save the Date for #GIHac 2022
Remember to save the date for the 2022 Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, which will be held from Monday, June 27 to Wednesday, June 29. Stay tuned for more details.

PHILANTHROPY @ WORK

Grants & Programs

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Boston, MA) • The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts (Worcester, MA) • Health Foundation for Western and Central New York (Buffalo and Syracuse, NY) • Impact Alamance (Burlington, NC) • Mat-Su Health Foundation (Wasilla, AK) • The Sozosei Foundation (Princeton, NJ) • The Weinberg Foundation (Owings Mills, MD)

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Transitions and Appointments

Diana Andrew (The Healing Trust) • Dr. Helen DuPlessis (Blue Shield of California Foundation) • Dr. Icela Pelayo, Jonathan Jayes-Green, and Raul Moas (Hispanics in Philanthropy) • Betsy Paine and Mike Devlin (Endowment for Health) • Mac Sims (Cone Health Foundation) • Edgar Villanueva and Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) • Aaron Werki (Weinberg Foundation)

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Awards

Mary Black Foundation (Spartanburg, SC) • CDC Foundation (Atlanta, GA) • Maine Health Access Foundation (Augusta, ME)

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