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
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.
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 →Upcoming Policy & Advocacy Events
We don't have anything scheduled at the moment but please check back soon for details on future Policy and Advocacy events.
Resources from Policy & Advocacy Events
Latest Resources
Giving Voice: The Power of Grassroots Advocacy in Shaping Public Policy
Within advocacy work, there exists a wide spectrum of strategies that can be employed to change or shape public policy. Yet, too often, nonprofit health organizations tend to limit themselves to a narrow range of strategies that typically includes education, policy/data analysis, and limited legislative advocacy. While these strategies are important to public policy work, they may not be enough to influence policymakers in today’s increasingly special interest and ideological-driven political system.
2010 Terrance Keenan Award Acceptance Speech
Read about The Commonwealth Fund’s Dr. Mary Jane Koren’s 30 years of work to improve the quality of institutional long-term care, and be inspired by her willingness to take chances on innovation, revisit old ideas, and find treasure among the wreckage.
2009 Terrance Keenan Award Acceptance Speech
Read about Mr. Yates’ groundbreaking work at The California Wellness Foundation and be inspired by his leadership as he guided his organization through unchartered territories and spearheaded a new approach to grantmaking.
A Tribute to Terrance Keenan at the 2009 Annual Meeting Seeing the Future with 20/20 Vision
Terrance Keenan, a founder of Grantmakers In Health (GIH), passed away on February 25 at the age of 85. Known for his leadership, innovation, and compassion, Mr. Keenan was a generous, consummate grantmaker whose career spanned more than 50 years in philanthropy, 46 of which were spent with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
A National Foundation Undertakes a Regional Strategy in the South
The Health Reform Program of the Public Welfare Foundation supports advocacy so that the voices of the people served by the health care system can be informed and effective. Poverty, health disparities, and underfunded advocacy capacity describe the South.
Collaborating Where Health Happens
At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), our mission is to improve health and health care for all Americans. But improving health for the most vulnerable requires acknowledging that factors such as poverty, violence, inadequate housing, and education contribute to poor health.
Policy Statements
