Featured Resources
The People Say: A New Older Adult and Caregiver Policy and Research Tool
An online research hub features first-hand insights from older adults and caregivers on the issues most important to them, as well as feedback from experts on policies affecting older adults. The project particularly focuses on the experiences of communities often under-consulted in policymaking, including older adults of color, those who are low income, and/or those who live in rural areas where healthcare isn’t easily accessible.
The Story of Care: A Snapshot of the Care Narrative Change Landscape
At some point, every one of us will need care or need to provide care. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions of caregivers and exposed the failings caused by our nation’s lack of care policies, especially for communities of color. Deploying narrative-change strategies across care-related issues will help create the conditions for cultural and policy progress. The goal of this report is to share with funders the promising narrative-change strategies and tactics that have been identified, a directory of funders and grantees who are supporting this work, and how philanthropy can best support this effort.
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.
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Latest Resources
Older Adults are a Critical Asset to Building Healthy Communities – A Call for an Intersectional Approach
St. David’s Foundation considers the well-being of older adults as a fundamental aspect to our goal of building the healthiest community in the world. However, for many donors, supporting older adults is not a funding priority.
StartStrong: Transforming the System of Care to Reduce Infant Mortality
It is a dichotomy to think that the United States, with the sophisticated medical care available here, has higher infant mortality rates than most other developed countries. A higher rate of premature births in the United States is the main reason for this poor ranking.
How Foundations Can Accelerate Health System Improvement by Investing in Capacity Building Across Sectors
At a time when the health care system is facing a host of challenges, many with attributes that are impossible to solve alone, we see organizations from across the health and social sectors combining their skills and expertise through interesting partnerships to crack the “impossible” together.
Funding Upstream Solutions is Key to Remedy the Social Ills of Trauma
The root cause philanthropy cannot ignore, regardless of the outcomes we seek or the population we serve, is exposure to trauma. Trauma is defined as the effects of a single event, a series of events, and ongoing circumstances that are experienced or perceived as physically or emotionally harmful and life threatening.
Gun Violence Prevention
A key topic of conversation at this year’s GIH board retreat was the role of health philanthropy and GIH in responding to gun violence.
Care Partners: How Philanthropy Can Kick-Start Programs to Engage Community and Family Members to Improve Depression Care for Older Adults
Late-life depression is a pressing public health concern among an aging population facing increasing chronic health concerns. As many as 5 to 10 percent of older adults seen in a primary care health setting suffer from depression, which can last for months or even years, and is associated with both decreased quality of life and higher health care costs.
Publications and Reports
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.
Progress Report: Older Americans Act Reauthorization Campaign
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.
Fact Sheet: Five Ways Congress Can Strengthen the Older Americans Act, and What Philanthropy Can Do
First signed into law in 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) provides critical services that address the social drivers of health for older adults such as nutrition, transportation, senior centers, elder rights protections, caregiver support, and health promotion. A popular, bipartisan, and effective law, the OAA is set to expire on September 30, 2024, if it is not reauthorized. Foundations play a critical role at every stage of the OAA, from the time Congress begins reauthorizing the law, to the appropriation of funding, to the implementation of OAA programs. Now is the time to act.
Connect With Funder Peers on Population Health
Interested in exchanging strategies, information, and questions with your funder peers? Sign up for GIH E-Forums.