Grantmakers In Health’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. We are also supporting health philanthropy with the thought leadership and programming to create lasting impact by influencing advocacy, policy, and funding in targeted areas. 

This policy agenda identifies our public policy priorities for the coming year. Informed by health funders, these priorities will guide our programming, influence decisions related to issuing public statements on timely policy issues, and focus our emerging advocacy efforts. We hope these priorities will also inspire the field of health philanthropy and encourage greater collaboration and commitment to common policy goals among funders. We look forward to working with funders and others to advance this agenda. 

GIH Health Policy Update Newsletter

An Exclusive Resource for GIH Funding Partners

Health Policy Update: April 17, 2025

April 18, 2025
Posted in ,

In an effort to help our Funding Partners better understand the changing health policy landscape in the new administration and Congress, Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is expanding the GIH Health Policy Update newsletter to three issues per month. Working in collaboration with Leavitt Partners, a leading health care policy consultancy, we are adding new installments of the newsletter on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, while we will continue to partner with Trust for America’s Health on the installment released on the second Wednesday of the month.

2025 Federal Health Policy Timeline

This timeline previews expected and potential federal regulatory and legislative health policy events in 2025. Funding Partners interested in state legislative sessions should visit NCSL’s State Legislative Session Calendar.

A curated, exclusive resource for GIH Partners

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.

Support GIH and GIA's OAA Partnership

GIH and GIA are raising funds to support our advocacy work on the OAA, and we still need additional investments to reach our goal. Please reach out to Cecilia Kramer at ckramer@gih.org for more information. We are appreciative of the funders who have already supported this partnership. 

OAA News and Updates

Progress Report: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Campaign

January 31, 2025
Posted in

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 →

Latest Resources

Staying the Course in Turbulent Waters

Managing change is hard, but managing uncertainty can be even harder. This sentiment captures the challenges health funders have faced while navigating the roiling health policy debates of the 115th Congress.

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A Model for Advocacy: How One Foundation’s Unconventional Investment is Shaping Health Policy

The Colorado Health Foundation’s unprecedented journey to creating and endowing Healthier Colorado —a nationally unique 501(c)(4) organization—arose when the Foundation began its transition from a public charity to a private foundation in 2011.

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Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Challenges of and Recommendations for Tracking Local Policy

If you advocate for, research, evaluate, or fund policy change, a local policy database will enrich and facilitate your work.

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Philanthropy Talks to Philanthropy

The annual conference showed again this year why it is the premier opportunity for health funders to talk to their peers about challenges, lessons learned, and the path forward.

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No More Half Measures: The Case for Bigger, Bolder Advocacy Support

It is increasingly clear that advocacy and policy change is deeply entrenched in and dependent on political institutions and the political process. This is the perfect time for foundations to furnish themselves with a broad range of tools, helping to ensure that the fights we have always had will not be the fights we always have.

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