WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2024—A new Grantmakers In Health survey of health funder leadership, staff, and boards found that health funder organizations are more racially and ethnically diverse than the broader field of philanthropy.
According to the survey, 31 percent of Chief Executive Officers and Executive Directors leading health funder organizations identify as Black, Indigenous, or Other People of Color (BIPOC), compared to 14 percent from philanthropic organizations focusing on other priority areas. In addition, 49 percent of staff employed by health funders identify as BIPOC compared to 31 percent from the broader field of philanthropy.
The survey also found that the boards of health funder organizations are more racially and ethnically diverse than the boards of nonprofit organizations in general, with 43 percent of board members from health funder organizations identifying as BIPOC compared to only 23 percent of board members from the broader nonprofit sector. Health funder board chairs are more than twice as likely to identify as a person of color (43 percent) compared to chairs of the broader nonprofit sector (16 percent).
“Health funders have prioritized staff and leadership diversity as part of broader health equity goals,” said Cara V. James, President and CEO of Grantmakers In Health. “The results of this survey indicate that those efforts have produced real progress, but we still have more work to do to ensure that health funders and their boards look like the communities they serve.”
Despite showing gains in diversity for health philanthropy’s leadership and staff, only 39 percent of GIH survey respondents say that their board composition was reflective of the population they serve.
The full survey report, Diversity in the Leadership, Staff, and Boards of Health Philanthropy, is available to download here.
About Grantmakers In Health
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the health of all people. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others, and to help strengthen the grantmaking community’s knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. For more information, please visit GIH.org.
Contact
Jeff Barrus
Communications Director
Grantmakers In Health
202.534.3008
jbarrus@gih.org