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Letter from the President, Views from the Field, Grantmaker Focus, and more…
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May / June 2024
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In 1965, the Older Americans Act was a beacon of successful bipartisan legislation to address the social, economic and health needs of older Americans on a national level. Nearly 60 years later, the act has changed little, yet life for older adults and what it takes for them to thrive has changed significantly.
This fall, the act is up for reauthorization — providing Congress an opportunity to give it a long overdue modernization to ensure it can meet the needs of older Americans today.
As the president and CEO of Grantmakers In Health, an adult caring for my aging mother, and someone who spent nearly a decade working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, I’m familiar with the needs of older adults and the benefits of programs like Medicare, Medicaid and the Older Americans Act, as well as their shortcomings.
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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD
A New Philanthropic Approach to Supporting the Health and Capacity of Rural Communities
Roque Barros, Executive Director, Imperial Valley Wellness Foundation
Karen Winston, Communications Director, Alliance Healthcare Foundation
To understand health and wellness in rural America, it has been suggested that you need to find a trusted intermediary inside the region that is walking hand-in-hand with the community. Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group describes this type of intermediary as a Rural Development Hub. Rural Development Hubs focus on advancing an asset-based, wealth-building approach to rural community engagement and economic development. This inherently includes increasing the health and wellness of the community and its residents; increasing local ownership of all types of assets from cultural, social, financial to political, attracting external resources and funding; and it always includes low-income, under-resourced people and places. Hubs seek to transform regions by treating root causes of multigenerational poverty and disease by shifting the balance of power and developing a stronger power base in the community and with those most impacted by the issues at hand.
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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD
Cross-Sector Collaboration to Expand Early Access to Whole-Person, Supportive Cancer Care
Audrey Haberman, CEO, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
Kamera Museau, Project Manager, Supportive Care Initiative, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
For many common cancers, the rates of incidence are on the rise. In 2024, first-time new cases of cancer in the United States are expected to reach two million, or almost 5,500 cancer diagnoses a day, with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities experiencing a higher incidence. Within the health care system, there are multiple challenges to equitable care related to gaps in health insurance, access to care and culturally relevant care models, and discrimination and bias in care and treatment.
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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD
How Philanthropy Can Support Los Angeles Homeless Providers Facing Challenges Accessing California Housing Services
Brittney Daniel , Health Program Officer, California Community Foundation
Alex Chan, Director, Nonprofit Finance Fund
Eskedar Getahun, Consultant, Nonprofit Finance Fund
Alexa Eggleston, Founder, Audacia Consulting
In 2022, Cedars-Sinai, HealthNet, and the California Community Foundation launched a philanthropic partnership to support a learning collaborative for 11 providers that serve the unhoused to receive capacity building, policy guidance, and other assistance to take advantage of the new CalAIM Community Supports (CS) housing services. Nonprofit Finance Fund engaged providers and provided capacity building and support to each organization to explore CalAIM and plan for their potential engagement in the Medi-Cal service model. Corporation for Supportive Housing is working on an advocacy agenda with the provider cohort as they experienced challenges and barriers during the process. The goal was for their learnings to inform current and future policy and advocacy discussions about the opportunities, challenges, and needs related to Community Supports to promote the highest quality of care for individuals and families who are at risk of becoming unhoused or who are already unhoused.
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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD
Expanding Youth Mental Health in Philadelphia Schools
Heather Major, Executive Director, Independence Blue Cross Foundation
Youth in the United States are in crisis. Rates of depression and anxiety in children have been on the rise, the result of factors like social media, pandemic related issues like isolation, and trauma from gun violence and poverty. Between 2016 and 2020, diagnoses of depression in youth ages 3-17 increased by nearly 30 percent and were higher for children of color and LGBTQ children according to a 2022 study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD
Exploring the Packard Foundation’s U.S. Reproductive Health Initiative
Elizabeth Arndorfer, U.S. Reproductive Health Director, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Interviewer: Miranda Wesley, Communications Specialist, Grantmakers In Health
The Packard Foundation has a long history of funding efforts that protect, regain, and expand access to abortion and contraception and funding innovations to expand access to these services as part of its U.S. Reproductive Health initiative. To explore the foundation’s current work, specifically at the state level, Grantmakers In Health’s Miranda Wesley spoke with the Packard Foundation’s U.S. Reproductive Health Director, Elizabeth Arndorfer.
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VIEWS FROM THE FIELD
‘Digging In’ to Create a Healthy Agriculture System
Clare Fox, Executive Director, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders
Interviewer: Miranda Wesley, Communications Specialist, Grantmakers In Health
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF), a Grantmakers In Health (GIH) Philanthropy Support Partner, recently released their first documentary film, Digging In, in partnership with Masika Henson, Nathan.works, and Vatheuer Family Foundation. The documentary aims to help funders understand how land access, consolidation, and climate change affect U.S. agriculture, which are all factors that impact health and equity. To learn more about the creation and inspiration behind the film, GIH conducted the following Q&A with SAFSF’s Executive Director Clare Fox.
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“When we asked our community what we should prioritize ahead of launching a new strategic plan, the response around mental health was overwhelming, especially for youth. This work is urgent and necessary, and the trends of the past few years are a call to all of us to listen to the young people in our lives and center their needs. I'm especially excited that we have co-created a 25-person Youth Action Council as part of our collaborative work on youth mental health in the region. We know that: ‘those closest to the problems are closest to solutions’ and the Youth Action Council is one way we are living out that value.”
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GIH NEWS
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Driving Change through Public-Private Collaboration at Age + Action 2024
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On May 7, 2024, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) and Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) cohosted a funders-only meeting at the National Council on Aging’s Age + Action 2024 conference. The session, “Driving Change through Public-Private Collaboration,” focused on bridging connections between the public and private sectors to improve the health and well-being of older adults in the U.S.
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Explore Conference Sponsorship Opportunities
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There is still time to secure a GIH annual conference sponsorship that's right for your organization. A customized sponsorship can connect you with hundreds of public health funders before, during, and after this year's conference in Portland, Oregon.
A sponsorship of this Grantmakers In Health conference provides direct access to an influential group of public health funders and practitioners. Join other corporations, health funders, and organizations from aligned fields to support the largest gathering for health philanthropy in the country.
Learn More
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PHILANTHROPY
@ WORK
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Grants & Programs
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (Boston, MA) • Blue Shield of California Foundation (Oakland, CA) • California Community Foundation (Los Angeles, CA) • Desert Healthcare District and Foundation (Palm Springs, CA) • The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust (New York, NY) • Vitamix Foundation (Cleveland, OH)
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Transitions and Appointments
The Colorado Health Foundation (Denver, CO)
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Awards
Mat-Su Health Foundation (Wasilla, AK)
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