The Air That We Breathe
We and many colleagues believe that, in order to strengthen responses to the pressing crises we face, we must consider some converging determinants of health—racism, climate change, and COVID-19—together. Doing so is essential, not just for crisis management, but also for building resilient systems and infrastructure that enable everyone, particularly Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities, to breathe.
The Urgent Need for Nature During and After COVID-19
Mounting research, combined with our personal and professional experience, suggest that improving equity in access to greenspace may help combat health inequities. Access to safe, nearby nature must be prioritized as critical public health infrastructure and not just an amenity for a few.
Climate Change, Health, and Equity Survey Findings: Gaps, Needs, and Opportunities
This report summarizes the findings of a fall 2019 survey on the landscape of climate change, health, and equity funding and organizational work. The survey’s purpose is to add to the understanding of the resource gaps, needs, and opportunities in this critical and expanding field.
Productive Partnerships
Twenty years ago, a small group of grantmakers launched a Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN), seeking to bridge health and environmental philanthropy and to focus more attention on links between human, wildlife, and ecosystem health. One of my first tasks as HEFN’s first staffer was to try to engage health funders in this enterprise.
Philanthropy’s Role in Addressing Neighborhood Conditions That Shape Health
From sidewalks to toxic stress, evidence shows where people live has a greater impact on health than medical care, behavior, or genetics. As funders move upstream, there is increased interest in supporting efforts to build healthy places. This scan of the field explores how grantmakers are addressing neighborhood factors that shape health such as housing, community development, the built environment, and transportation.
Clean and Safe Drinking Water: A Cornerstone of Healthy Lives
In California, where our foundation is based, upwards of 1 million residents lack access to clean and safe drinking water in their homes. Their drinking water is contaminated by nitrates from fertilizer, industrial solvents, naturally-occurring arsenic, and other harmful elements.
Community Water Fluoridation: Lessons for Improving Philanthropic Policy Advocacy
This webinar discussed where community water fluoridation stands today, the lessons learned for philanthropy, how policy campaigns can successfully engage on public health issues in a bipartisan manner, and recommendations for next steps to continue moving community water fluoridation efforts forward.