{"id":16846,"date":"2025-04-04T14:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T21:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/?page_id=16846"},"modified":"2025-09-11T04:34:50","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T11:34:50","slug":"grants-for-public-health-fundraising","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-public-health-fundraising","title":{"rendered":"Grants for Public Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:151px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-16807\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/funding-guide-banner-blue-dots-1.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\"\/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-a14a1bed197b988dff96ca1d7b322ffa\" style=\"color:#484848;font-size:42px\">Grants for Public Health<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"intro-box has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebeeeb\">Learn about public health grants by browsing our curated list of top public health funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities by using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/grantfinder-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>search tool <\/strong><\/a>for GrantFinder. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/membership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Become a member.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-1 one-column gb-background-auto gb-background-no-repeat\" style=\"background-image:url(https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bg-radiant-dots-shortest.png);background-position:50% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-0 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\" style=\"padding-top:20px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-columns gb-layout-columns-2 gb-2-col-wideright\" style=\"padding-top:60px;padding-right:30px;padding-bottom:6px;background-position:80% 0%\"><div class=\"gb-layout-column-wrap gb-block-layout-column-gap-2 gb-is-responsive-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column ip-gf-key-funders-box gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Key Funders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list key-funders-list\">\n<li>Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>California Wellness Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/j-grants\/2021\/7\/30\/robert-wood-johnson-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Robert Wood Johnson Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-g\/gates-foundation\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"136278\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gates Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/grants-a\/arnold-ventures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arnold Ventures<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/rgrants\/rockefeller-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Rockefeller Foundation<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/grants-b\/bloomberg-philanthropies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bloomberg Philanthropies<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/fundraising-los-angeles-grants\/the-california-endowment-los-angeles-grants.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The California Endowment<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/grants-d\/de-beaumont-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">De Beaumont Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Duke Endowment <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/grants-b\/otto-bremer-trust\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Otto Bremer Trust<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/\/k-grants\/kresge-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kresge Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-column gb-block-layout-column\"><div class=\"gb-block-layout-column-inner\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong><strong>Funding trends for public health<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Public health, as defined by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apha.org\/-\/media\/files\/pdf\/factsheets\/whatisph.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Public Health Association<\/a>, is the practice of preventing disease and promoting good health within groups of people, from small communities to entire countries. It is a science-based, evidence-backed field that aims to ensure that everyone, in every community, can safely live, learn, and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The work of creating healthy communities is multi-faceted. In order to address the intersecting factors that impact public health, practitioners and policy workers study the social, economic and environmental factors that impact health at all levels of American life, which stretches from migrant communities to citizens. Public health concerns vary in nature as much as the U.S. population it intends to support. From epidemiology to gun violence,&nbsp; public health is a focus area that overlaps with a variety of concerns<a href=\"https:\/\/www.apha.org\/-\/media\/files\/pdf\/topics\/climate\/energy_justice_key_concepts.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">, including climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Public health, long considered a government responsibility, is primarily funded in the U.S. via the <a href=\"http:\/\/cdc.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <\/a>(CDC). As of 2024, the CDC was awarding more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tfah.org\/report-details\/funding-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">80%<\/a> of its funds to states, tribes, territories, local health departments and external partners to support a wide array of public health initiatives.&nbsp;Government funding for public health has since stagnated for about a decade, according to the nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tfah.org\/report-details\/funding-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trust for America\u2019s Health<\/a>, even as health risks grew. With the gutting of the CDC and other federal public health departments, the first few months of 2025 have experienced a deep&nbsp; divestment from public health with potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/02\/health\/cdc-layoffs-kennedy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grave consequences<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<!-- Non-displaying inline paywall marker. Editors: please keep this code block. Position this block before the first full-width paragraph or just above the foundations list heading. -->\n<div id=\"ipInlineOffer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-container foundation-list gb-block-container\"><div class=\"gb-container-inside\"><div class=\"gb-container-content\">\n<p>Philanthropy has been a crucial partner in government efforts \u2014 filling gaps, making grants to initiatives that help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chcf.org\/blog\/philanthropy-helped-transform-las-public-health-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">improve public health systems<\/a>, supporting new research, funding pilot programs to try out innovative solutions, helping to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/how-are-funders-guiding-the-distribution-of-50-billion-in-opioid-settlement-dollars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ensure government funding gets where it is most needed<\/a>, and engaging in policy advocacy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Public health philanthropy at a turning point<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s hard to quantify exactly how much philanthropy goes to public health initiatives, since a lot of public health grantmaking is encompassed within broader health grantmaking or grants for interrelated issues such as reducing pollution (usually categorized as environmental giving).&nbsp;In a field of intersecting issues, private funders tend to focus on particular issue areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Health conversion foundations \u2013 private foundations that were created upon the sale of nonprofit health organizations to for-profit entities \u2013 are important public health grantmakers, especially at the state and local levels.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because health and healthcare access are in many ways determined by the community in which one lives, some public health philanthropy is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/2024-2-22-a-foundation-backed-initiative-looks-to-boost-public-health-one-city-at-a-time\">place-based<\/a>, focused on improving health and wellness in a particular geographic community. California is a leader in this field, with significant public health grantmaking coming from the California Endowment, California Health Care Foundation, and California-based Latino Community Foundation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Philanthropic funders have been increasingly focused on the social determinants of health, such as access to good healthcare, education, economic stability, neighborhood conditions, safe housing and health equity. Government initiatives have also focused on these aspects of public health. For instance, in 2021, the CDC declared <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.cdc.gov\/www_cdc_gov\/media\/releases\/2021\/s0408-racism-health.html\">racism<\/a> a serious public health threat that affects the well-being of millions of Americans.&nbsp;Will philanthropy stay the course and continue to support the equity initiatives that are at the heart of public health? A perhaps promising signal: The 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gih.org\/focus-areas\/policy-and-advocacy\/policy-priorities\/\">policy priorities<\/a> of Grantmakers in Health \u2013 the largest network of health funders in the U.S. \u2013 are public-health-minded. The funder network\u2019s priorities include health equity and social justice, healthcare access, and improving health among populations that face disproportionate risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For information on related areas of grantmaking, see IP\u2019s Grant Finder pages on<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-diseases\"><em>diseases<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-mental-health\"><em>mental health<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-reproductive-health\"><em>reproductive rights and health<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-violence-prevention\"><em>violence prevention<\/em><\/a><em>, f<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/food-and-nutrition-grants\"><em>ood security<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/housing-grants\"><em>housing and homelessness<\/em><\/a>, <em>and <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/find-a-grant\/grants-for-community-development\"><em>community development<\/em><\/a><em>. <\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Where public health grants are going<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In Inside Philanthropy\u2019s State of American Philanthropy brief on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/state-of-american-philanthropy-pdfs\/giving-for-public-health\">Giving for Public Health<\/a>, we found that women\u2019s health, family planning, substance abuse treatment, and environmental health are the areas of public health that have received the most funding in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some public health grantmaking supports national initiatives, while many grants support public health efforts in a specific geographic community. Before such programs came under attack by the Trump administration, some public health grants were geared toward improving health outcomes in specific populations, such as Native American communities, Black women, young children, or LGBTQ+ elders. Recent executive orders and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/whats-next-for-philanthropy-after-the-fearless-fund-settlement\">court cases<\/a> could affect this type of grantmaking.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Public health grants support direct services, as well as research, education and policy advocacy. Combating health mis- and disinformation is a growing focus of health communications grants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gaps in public health funding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Even before the second Trump administration\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/publichealthnewswire.org\/?p=Public-health-Trump-administration\">attacks on public health<\/a>, the nonpartisan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tfah.org\/report-details\/blueprint-for-strengthening-public-health-2024\/\">Trust for America\u2019s Health<\/a> described public health and the U.S. public health system as \u201cat risk\u201d as a result of an infrastructure and workforce weakened by chronic underfunding, as well as health mis- and disinformation. Public health has been <a href=\"https:\/\/ajph.aphapublications.org\/doi\/10.2105\/AJPH.2022.306810\">under attack<\/a> in the U.S. for several years, as evidence-based public health interventions to minimize harm during the COVID-19 pandemic were perceived by a swath of Americans as restrictions on their freedom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, sweeping cuts to the federal public health infrastructure and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/18\/us\/politics\/fda-cdc-health-department-trump.html#:~:text=A%20core%20group%20of%20so,researchers%20are%20out%20of%20jobs.&amp;text=The%20notices%20came%20all%20weekend,work%20is%20no%20longer%20needed.\">workforce<\/a>, alongside attacks on diversity and equity programs that could affect everything from who is represented in clinical trials to the diversity of the healthcare professions, will create massive gaps in public health funding in the U.S. and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/home\/what-trumps-effort-to-starve-domestic-nonprofits-and-global-ngos-means-for-philanthropy\">around the world<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Private philanthropy cannot replace the government when it comes to a coordinated, holistic effort to advance public health for every community in the nation. But philanthropy may attempt to fill some of the gaps created by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/18\/us\/politics\/fda-cdc-health-department-trump.html\">government abandonment<\/a> of substantial areas of public health. In doing so, funders concerned with the health of all communities will also have to contend with the Trump administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/article\/trump-dei-investigations-could-target-large-foundations\">attacks<\/a> even in the private sector.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While philanthropy can be an impactful <em>partner<\/em> in public health funding, it is far from ideal for private philanthropy to replace public spending. As policy analyst Steven A. Edwards put it in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/03\/16\/science\/billionaires-with-big-ideas-are-privatizing-american-science.html?searchResultPosition=1\">New York Times<\/a> article warning about the privatization of disease research a decade ago, \u201cthe practice of science in the 21st century is becoming shaped less by national priorities or by peer-review groups and more by the particular preferences of individuals with huge amounts of money.\u201d The particular preferences of individuals or private foundations cannot create a comprehensive public health system that serves all communities. Even if philanthropy is able to fill some gaps amid the current crisis, public health requires a future where philanthropy is a supporting partner to a comprehensive national public health system.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group modified-date-row is-content-justification-left is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f56a869c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p><em>Published on <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"font-style:italic;font-weight:400;\" class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2025-04-04T14:35:00-07:00\">April 4, 2025<\/time><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px;width:0px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about public health grants by browsing our curated list of top public health funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities by using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"parent":13716,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":true,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-16846","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16846"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224189,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16846\/revisions\/224189"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidephilanthropy.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}