2025 Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy
Forging Partnerships for a Better Tomorrow
Solving large, complex societal issues not only compels funders to use their resources in new and creative ways, but requires them to build strong, lasting partnerships with a wide range of public and private stakeholders. As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Medicare and Medicaid Act and the start of a new administration, as well as reflect on 20 years of rebuilding since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the power of partnership stands as a key force for improving health for all.
The 2025 GIH annual conference is an important opportunity for funders to collectively explore innovative, multisectoral partnerships at the local, state, and national levels that advance health and equity. We’re planning sessions that highlight how funders effectively partner with diverse stakeholders, bring community voice and expertise to partnerships, and identify key learnings from these collaborations.
GIH urges our Funding Partners and others in our community to join us in signing onto this public statement—we stand a better chance together than if we go it alone.
Read More →Grantmakers In Health Announces 2025 Award Winners
Elizabeth Ripley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mat-Su Health Foundation in Alaska, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2025 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award.
Learn More →Jane Perkins of the National Health Law Program to Be Honored with the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy
Jane Perkins, Litigation Director of the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) in Washington, DC, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2025 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.
Learn More →GIH's 2025 Policy Priorities
GIH’s five-year strategic plan elevates leadership and influence as one of four strategic pillars for our work. GIH seeks to take a more active role in defining the key issues that will advance better health for all and support health philanthropy with thought leadership and programming to make a lasting impact by influencing advocacy, policy, and funding in targeted areas. As part of this work, GIH recently released its updated policy priorities for 2025.
GIH Health Policy Update Newsletter
The Latest
An Exclusive Resource for Funding Partners
The Health Policy Update is a newsletter produced in collaboration with Leavitt Partnersi and Trust for America’s Health. Drawing on GIH’s policy priorities outlined in our policy agenda and our strategic objective of increasing our policy and advocacy presence, the Health Policy Update provides GIH Funding Partners with a range of federal health policy news.
Recent Reports and Surveys
In 2024, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) surveyed its Funding Partners to understand how their health equity work has evolved. The survey consisted of 40 questions including demographic information, program focus areas, partner engagement, organizational strategy, priority population, successes, and challenges. This report summarizes findings from the Health Equity Survey titled, “Understanding the Changing Landscape.”
Read More →
2024 Survey Summary: Firearm Violence Prevention Strategies
GIH conducted a survey in September 2024 about funder engagement in firearm violence prevention. This fact sheet summarizes the survey results with a total sample of 81 health funders. This public health crisis and social justice issue is preventable, and health funders have an important role to play in advancing firearm violence prevention efforts.
2024 Year in Review
The 2024 Grantmakers In Health (GIH) Year in Review report explores a year of programming designed to help funders navigate a time of change, details the expansion of GIH’s expansion of its policy work, provides an update on the ongoing implementation of GIH’s strategic plan, and previews GIH’s priorities for 2025.
Overview of Potential Medicaid Changes in 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill
Budget reconciliation is a legislative tool that can be used by the majority party in Congress to advance their agenda with only a simple majority in the Senate. With slim Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, reconciliation provides an opportunity to pass key components of President Trump’s agenda, such as defense and border security funding, tax cuts, and spending cuts, without Democrat votes.
Perspectives From Health Philanthropy
Power to the People: Advancing Impact Through Participatory Budgeting
Who is best positioned to determine how health funding should be allocated? At the Community Health Commission of Missouri (CHCM), we believe the answer is clear: the people most affected by health disparities.
Philanthropy, Stewarding a Just America
In a time of intensive action to dismantle policies and practices that protect the well-being of all Americans, where chaos is the principal strategy to overthrow the will of and care for the American people, philanthropy must remain rooted in what is legally and morally right.
How Pew Is Learning to Improve Health Policy
Antibiotics revolutionized medical treatment and are a cornerstone of modern health care. However, the global rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is making infections costlier and deadlier. After a 2008 report commissioned by The Pew Charitable Trusts highlighted these concerns, the organization invested in multiple projects to set limits on the use of antibiotics and to spur the development of new drugs.
GIH Advocacy for the Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA)
The OAA provides critical services that address the social drivers of health for older adults. If the OAA is not reauthorized, it is set to expire on September 30, 2024. Grantmakers In Health (GIH) and Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) announced a partnership last year to engage funders in advancing the reauthorization of this critical piece of legislation.
OAA News and Updates
In October 2023, Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) and Grantmakers In Health (GIH) launched an 18-month initiative to engage funders in the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA). This report highlights key activities and takeaways and previews future programming.
Download the Report →Featured Resources
Celebrating Our Colleague Eileen Salinsky, a Grantmakers In Health Mainstay Since 2007
After 18 years at Grantmakers In Health, Eileen Salinsky, longtime Program Advisor and former Vice President for Program and Strategy, has announced her retirement. Her last day at GIH will be Friday, March 21, 2025. Eileen was recruited as GIH’s Vice President for Program and Strategy by former President and CEO Lauren LeRoy in 2007. Family obligations required Eileen to step back from her management position, but she stayed on part-time as a Program Adviser for almost two decades.
Data Show That The Majority of Adult Medicaid Enrollees are Working
Amid renewed interest in Medicaid work requirements as part of a broader legislative package designed to significantly reduce federal Medicaid spending, KFF has updated its analysis of the work status and demographic characteristics of Medicaid enrollees with the latest data.
Anchorum Health Foundation
“At Anchorum Health Foundation, our work starts by listening—understanding our communities’ strengths and challenges—and co-designing solutions driven by their voices. We know that every solution looks different. We pride ourselves on our adaptability. We can play many roles—leader, funder, convener, or supporter—depending on where we can make the greatest impact and what is being asked of us.”
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Elizabeth Ripley of the Mat-Su Health Foundation to Be Honored with the 2025 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award
Elizabeth Ripley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Mat-Su Health Foundation in Alaska, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2025 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award.
Jane Perkins of the National Health Law Program to Be Honored with the Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy
Jane Perkins, Litigation Director of the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) in Washington, DC, will receive Grantmakers In Health’s 2025 Andy Hyman Award for Advocacy.
Upcoming Webinars
CEO Working Group Webinar
Grantmakers In Health is pleased to convene the CEO Working Group to discuss challenges in our work and opportunities for collaboration as we move forward to achieve our health missions under the new administration.
Policy Briefing: Threats to Food and Nutrition Programs in Budget Reconciliation
The House and Senate continue to work on a budget reconciliation. On April 10, the House narrowly passed the Senate’s version of a budget blueprint, calling on Congressional committees to slash billions of dollars from programs within their jurisdictions including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school meal supports like the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), and Medicaid in exchange for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. The House and Senate will determine the final tax and spending levels by agency and program in committee debates in coming months. In this session, experts from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) will provide an up to the moment analysis of how federal budget reconciliation impacts food and nutrition programs, the tie into Farm Bill negotiations, and ultimately, what these policy decisions mean for the health and well-being of children, families, and communities across the country. Experts will also highlight how advocates are organizing in support of these crucial programs, FRAC’s advocacy resources, and how funders can support this work. Please note this session will not be recorded. Notes and key takeaways will be shared with registrants.
Social Security is for Everyone – And Philanthropy Plays An Important Role
Social Security turns 90 this year with nearly four generations of Americans rightfully counting on social security as a part of their economic plan. It is not just for older adults but also supports children and families in the event of disability and death. However, the program currently faces a long-term financing gap which, if unaddressed, will result in across-the-board benefit cuts of approximately 15 percent. There are workable solutions and this new survey from National Academy of Social Insurance, supported by RRF Foundation on Aging, tested vetted options to understand what components people most value, would like increased and could be decreased.
Foundations Take Action on Medicaid
Congress is considering significant cuts to Medicaid as part of the budget reconciliation process being used to advance the new administration’s legislative priorities. Cuts to Medicaid funding would dramatically impact the 80 million people served by the program today. This webinar will provide an overview of potential federal policy changes to Medicaid and considerations for foundations and corporate giving programs as they consider how to take action in their communities. The webinar will feature a panel discussion with the leadership of state foundations to highlight their key initiatives and collaborations on Medicaid defense. Speakers include Patti Baum of Manatt Health, Heather Howard of State Health and Value Strategies, Kaitlyn Kenney Walsh of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Sheldon Weisgrau of Missouri Foundation for Health, and Aaron Wernham of Montana Healthcare Foundation.
Upcoming Convenings
2025 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy
Every year, GIH brings together the bright minds, seasoned experts, and innovative practitioners working in health philanthropy to discuss the important issues facing the field.
2025 Rural Health Philanthropy Partnership Meeting
Grantmakers In Health (GIH), the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the National Rural Health Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of Rural Health will co-host the 2025 Rural Health Philanthropy Partnership Meeting, welcoming foundations, federal entities, and other partners to discuss how our combined efforts might produce better health outcomes…
Program Officer
The Program Officer is responsible for collaboratively contributing to program development by initiating, curating, developing, stewarding, and evaluating a portfolio of grants and initiatives aimed to advance health in Texas. From concept development and capacity building approaches to resourcing and stewardship of the grant lifecycle, the Program Officer operates in partnership with grantee organizations to cultivate and guide our work that positively impacts people and communities.
Managing Director of Youth Behavioral Health
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is seeking a Managing Director of Youth Behavioral Health to lead the strategy and implementation of initiatives to ensure children and youth in North Carolina grow up in strong and supportive communities that provide them and their families with the best opportunity to be mentally healthy and thrive.
Vice President of Development
The Angeletti group invites nominations and applications for the role of Vice President of Development of EB Research Partnership. EB Research Partnership is on a mission to cure Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) by 2030 and pioneer a path for the more than 400 million people affected by rare diseases worldwide.
Executive Director
The Jackson Chance Foundation (JCF) is seeking an Executive Director to lead its growth and expand its impact on NICU families. Evolving from a volunteer-run initiative to a well-established organization with a strong Chicago presence, JCF has a dedicated Board and successful fundraising efforts. The Executive Director will guide strategic planning, diversify revenue, and strengthen donor engagement.
Featured Position
Grants Coordinator
The Grants Coordinator will be responsible for tracking, reporting, and administrative follow-up on grants as well as looking for funding opportunities and assisting with application processes.
Connect and collaborate with peers, learn about opportunities to develop your staff, browse professional growth opportunities, and more.
Staff and trustees of foundations and corporate giving programs may receive strategic guidance from program staff, experts, and peers.
Learning Communities
GIH provides ongoing opportunities for sharing, networking, and collaborating around specific topics or functions in health philanthropy. Each Learning Community uses an online platform plus a mix of webinars, in-person meetings, resource sharing, and surveys to provide an in-depth look at its subject.
Trustee Tools and Resources
Browse trustee-tailored content related to governance, strategy, and effectiveness.