Letter from the President, Views from the Field, Grantmaker Focus, and more…

June 2020

From the President - Enough is Enough: It is Time to Get Serious about Eliminating Racial Disparities
Our country has experienced significant upheaval over the last 90 days that raised the collective awareness of inequities in health, work, education, and policing. These changes have led to increased calls for action and offer a pivotal moment to enact meaningful steps towards achieving health equity. We must not squander this opportunity.
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Views from the Field – COVID-19: Why We Need Palliative Care More Than Ever
During this unprecedented crisis, to, it is essential to develop tools, training and resources that enable primary palliative care so that all clinicians working on the frontlines of COVID-19 have the resources they need to reach the largest numbers of patients and families in need.
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Views from the Field – 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.
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Views from the Field – Hiding in Plain Sight: Care Challenges for Older Adults Living with HIV
Unless you fund an AIDS-serving organization or have a personal connection, this may surprise you, but HIV/AIDS has quietly undergone a metamorphosis, and it is time for health funders to take a fresh look.
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Reflections from 2020 Andy Hyman
Award for Advocacy Recipient

Vincent DeMarco, President, Maryland Health Care for All Coalition

My organization, the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative (MCHI) Education Fund, has made tremendous progress in expanding access to quality, affordable health care and improving public health. These achievements have only been possible because of our great fortune to work with a bold philanthropic community that is invested in strategic advocacy and public health.
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Reflections from 2020 Terrance Keenan Leadership Award in Health Philanthropy Recipient

Earl Maxwell, Former Chief Executive Officer, St. David’s Foundation

Terrance Keenan observed that grantmakers need “an astute sense of what is significant—not only the quality of the ideas underlying the proposal but the quality of the people behind the ideas.” His beliefs and observations have never been more relevant than today.
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Grantmaker Focus – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation
“The COVID-19 pandemic is becoming the defining moment of our time. And so too will the response. Coming through to the other side will take the collective effort of all sectors – including philanthropy – both in the now and in the rebuilding that will follow.”
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GIH NEWS

Working Towards a Just and Equitable Future
We are heartbroken and outraged by recent and continuing acts of racism and violence against Black communities and communities of color, and we stand with all who are demanding justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Christian Cooper, Ahmaud Arbery, and other victims of racism and violence. Equity is a core value at Grantmakers In Health, woven through the fabric of our history and programming. As we make strides towards our vision of better health for all people, it is vital that we confront and tackle the enormous barrier of structural racism.

As events unfolded over the past few weeks, philanthropy issued statements condemning violence and racism, calling on each of us to act in order to achieve equity for all. While we seek to more fully explore and document how the field of health philanthropy is contributing to racial justice, we would like to share a few illustrative examples of philanthropic leadership in this moment.

Click here to access resources and learn more about how health philanthropy is responding in this moment.
2020 Terrance Keenan Institute Fellows Named
The Terrance Keenan Institute was created to nurture the next generation of health grantmaking leaders and further their professional development. The program fosters relationships among the fellows; connects them with established figures in the field; and reflects key themes from Terrance Keenan's work and writings such as leadership, innovation, taking risks, and the creative deployment of resources available to grantmakers. Click here for more information on our 2020 fellows!
Bookmark GIH's COVID-19 Issue Area Page
Health foundations are responding to COVID-19 coronavirus on multiple fronts, supporting preparedness and response efforts at the local, state, and national levels and closely monitoring how the epidemic is impacting grantees, partners, and community members. At the same time, they are implementing policies and practices to keep their own staff members healthy. Visit GIH's COVID-19 issue area page for news, resources, and insights most relevant for health philanthropy.

PHILANTHROPY @ WORK

Grants & Programs

Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation (New York, NY)

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Transitions

TC Duong and Richard Vezina (Blue Shield of California Foundation) • Dr. Stephanie Kripa Cooper-Lewter and Shenell McClurkin Thompson (Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust) • Tiffany Donelson (Connecticut Health Foundation) • Nate Hurst (Wells Fargo Foundation) • Cara Stewart (Kentucky Voices for Health) • Kiah Williams and Michele Siqueiros (California Endowment)

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Awards

Mat-Su Health Foundation (Wasilla, AK)

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COVID-19 Grants

Allegany Franciscan Ministries (Clearwater, FL) • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (Boston, MA) • Cambia Health Foundation (Portland, OR) • Episcopal Health Foundation (Houston, TX) • Gates Foundation (Seattle, WA) • The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts (Worcester, MA) • Kansas Health Foundation (Wichita, KS) • Kresge Foundation (Troy, MI) • Mat-Su Health (Wasilla, AK) • Mary Black Foundation (Spartanburg, SC) • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (Boston, MA) • The Duke Endowment (Charlotte, NC) • Episcopal Health Foundation (Houston, TX) • Ethel and James Flinn Foundation (Detroit, MI) • National Harm Reduction Coalition (New York, NY) • Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health (Palo Alto, CA) • Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation (Pottstown, PA) • Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland (Cleveland, OH) • Tufts Health Plan Foundation (Watertown, MA)

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