MAY 2021

From the President - Why We Can Not Return to Normal: A Prelude to GIH’s Annual Conference

If we are truly committed to a better world, life should not return to normal for any of us. It is against this backdrop that we will come together for GIH’s Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy from June 8-11.

Read the Full Letter →

Each year, GIH asks health funders to share their thoughts on our annual conference theme. This year, leaders offer reflections on our 2021 conference theme, Building a Just and Equitable Future.

Funding Justice is the Only Path to a More Equitable Future

Edgar Villanueva, Senior Vice-President of Programs & Advocacy, Schott Foundation for Public Education

Our philanthropic giving shapes both our leaders and our future. Investing in racial justice is the only strategy to get to a more just world.

The Illusion of Inclusive Workspaces and the Psychological Safety of BIPOC Colleagues

Chiara Smith, Associate Program Officer, Greater Rochester Health Foundation

When thinking about equity and justice, funders should ask themselves if we are operating from an authentically inclusive space—or under the illusion of inclusion.

Say What You Want – Putting Racial Equity Front and Center in COVID-19 Funding

TC Duong, Program Officer, Blue Shield of California Foundation

It is undeniable that violence, threats of violence, and discrimination contribute to toxic stress and social isolation on a community level—and these factors are connected to negative health outcomes.

One Year Later

Carl Lavender, Jr., Chief Equity Officer, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg

For us, 2020 was defined by two watershed moments: the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the day the world learned George Floyd’s name. More than a year later, here is what we have learned.

What Will Our Philanthropic Racial Equity Legacy Be?

Dr. Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter, Executive Vice President, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust

I have worked in philanthropy for over a decade—and believe we are at a pivotal time in our field’s history when taking action for equity is our only option in our quest for a just future.

GIH NEWS

Less Than One Month Remains to Register for #GIHac

Join us virtually from Tuesday, June 8 – Friday, June 11 for the 2021 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy, Building a Just and Equitable Future. This year’s convening will provide a space for health funders to come together and share how they responded to the challenges presented in 2020, exchange lessons learned, and discuss how to partner with allies to implement sustainable changes that lead to better health for all. Our plenary speakers include Melissa Berman, President and CEO of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors; Kathleen Enright, President and CEO of Council on Foundations; Arthur Evans, Jr., Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President of the American Psychological Association; Crystal Hayling, Executive Director of Libra Foundation; Marcella Nunez-Smith, Chair of the White House’s COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force; and Brenda Solorzano, Chief Executive Officer of Headwaters Foundation—and many more to be announced this month! Click here to browse our agenda and register by Friday, June 4.

NEW! Creating Resilient, Equitable, and Age-Friendly Communities

Older adults have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. While communities across the country are working overtime to provide the care and services older adults need, many providers are feeling overwhelmed by the barriers created by deficiencies in our support systems. The good news is that there are solutions to the challenges they face. This recently recorded in-depth conversation explores efforts to create more resilient, equitable, and age-friendly communities, including the evidence-based CAPABLE model. Featured speakers include Sarah Szanton, Health Equity and Social Justice Endowed Professor and Director of the Center for Innovative Care in Aging at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, and Andrew Levack, Senior Program Officer at St. David’s Foundation.

NEW! Investing at the Frontlines of Climate Change: Funder Toolkit on Climate, Health and Equity

GIH is excited to announce the release of a new funder toolkit on climate, health, and equity. Investing at the Frontlines of Climate Change: Funder Toolkit on Climate, Health and Equity is co-created by Biodiversity Funders Group, Climate and Energy Funders Group, Environmental Grantmakers Association, Grantmakers In Health, Health and Environmental Funders Network, Philanthropy California, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders, and The Funders Network. Access the report here.

PHILANTHROPY @ WORK

Transitions

Erica Browne, DrPH (The Kresge Foundation) • Samuela Manages, MD, FAAFP; Abdulkerim Said, BAS, CHW, BHP, MHRTC/B; Ian Yaffe; Nélida Berke, MPH; Donna Brown, MSW; Rebecca Matusovich, MPPM; Benjamin Sprague; Sara Squires, MPPM; and Joby Thoyalil, MPA (Maine Health Access Foundation) • Ivy Suriyopas (Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees) • Sarah Dorsett Walsh (Cannon Foundation) • Ruth Wernig and David Greenberg (The California Endowment)

Grants & Programs

Kresge Foundation (Troy, MI) • Mat-Su Health Foundation (Wasilla, AK) • RCHN Community Health Foundation (New York, NY) • REACH Foundation (Overland Park, KS) • Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation (Owings Mills, MD)

Requests for Proposals

Mary Black Foundation (Spartanburg, SC) • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Princeton, NJ) • New York State Health Foundation (New York, NY) • PagerDuty (San Francisco, CA) • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (Washington, DC) • St. David’s Foundation (Austin, TX)

Reports

RCHN Community Health Foundation (New York. NY)