Public Health Philanthropy News
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Bridging Broken Connections: The Benefits of Intergenerational Programs
With social isolation on the rise, Tiffany Benjamin of the Humana Foundation makes a case for a “two-for-one” solution: building ties between older adults and youth.
Philanthropy Can — and Must — Protect Human Connection in the Age of AI
As more and more people turn to machine companionship, what can funders do to build guardrails and prevent the worst harms?
With Federal Support for Alzheimer’s Research Scrambled, Can Funders Fill In?
The future of government funding to study the currently incurable disease has been thrown into a state of flux. How does philanthropic support measure up?
With Philanthropy’s Backing, Team Lily Defends Fragile Progress on Opioids
With funding from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts, the San Francisco-based program is helping pregnant people with substance use disorder. But Trump cuts will make it even harder to get care.
Christy Walton Bankrolls an Effort to Safeguard Vaccine Access in the U.S.
With an anti-vaxxer heading up HHS, the billionaire’s support for the Vaccine Integrity Project reflects her quiet, consistent opposition to Trump.
Bill Gates Defends His Legacy on Vaccines and Highlights the Threat to Global Health
Though Gates’ response had been largely muted as Trump decimated global aid, that may be changing. Is the foundation’s new $1.6 billion Gavi commitment a sign of things to come?
How Philanthropy Is Moving the Needle on an Innovative Approach to Mental Healthcare
Some national and regional funders are stepping up for collaborative care, but there’s still a long way to go.
A ‘Game-Changing’ Gift for Gun Violence Prevention
The Blank Foundation’s investment in the Fund for a Safer Future will allow the donor collaborative to double its efforts to tackle gun violence.
The Health Foundation Tackling the Nursing Shortage in New York
Mother Cabrini Health Foundation announced a $51 million program to improve patient outcomes in safety-net hospitals.
Robert Wood Johnson’s Final Culture of Health Cohort Targets Structural Racism
The foundation’s prize program may be coming to an end, but RWJF has signaled it remains committed to addressing health disparities — even as other funders back away.
Trump 2.0 and Abortion: Surging Need, A Precarious Funding Landscape
Reproductive rights organizations like the Brigid Alliance work to protect abortion access in an increasingly hostile environment. Will funders have their backs?
America’s Health Is Under Threat. Philanthropies Are Made for Moments Like This
Richard Besser of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation discusses the stances it’s taking — including to hold the line on racial equity.
A Deep Dive into an HHS Document Itemizing Billions in Terminated Funding
Funders who want to do something about threats to cancer research, public health, cultivating diverse faculty and more can see the exact names and numbers behind cuts at the HHS.
Cara James of Grantmakers In Health Speaks Up on Trump Disruption
As funders process the administration’s severe cuts to public health infrastructure, we connected with the PSO president to get her take on what’s going on.
“Bloodbath at HHS”: Health Funding Leaders React to Trump’s Cuts
As the administration takes a chainsaw to the Department of Health and Human Services, several top health grantmaking leaders sound off on what the damage will mean for health organizations and their funders.
How Are Funders Guiding the Distribution of $50 Billion in Opioid Settlement Dollars?
As a flood of cash moves to state and local governments, here’s how philanthropy is aiming to ensure that it benefits the communities that need it the most.
The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation Elevates Nurses to Address Care Gaps
An exception to philanthropy’s nursing blind spot, this foundation is tackling maternal mortality and mental health via “nurse-driven innovations.”
With DEI Under Fire, Robert Wood Johnson Increases Its Commitment to Diversity in Medicine
The bellwether public health funder will boost its investments toward a diverse healthcare workforce by 60% over the next three years — and set a timely example.
The Eisner Foundation’s Trent Stamp Talks Prizes and Programs
The foundation has broadened its intergenerational grantmaking to include both N.Y.C. and L.A. and is now awarding five annual prizes.
Philanthropy Must Push Back Against Social Media Misinformation
Recent comments by Mark Zuckerberg reflect tech companies’ loosening grip on the problem of misinformation. Philanthropic funders committed to health, democracy and much more should be concerned.
Basic Data, Big Impact: Why Bloomberg’s Doubling Down on Tracking Global Births and Deaths
With additional backing from Gates, Bloomberg Philanthropies is pumping more money into its decade-long project to help low- and middle-income countries collect accurate birth and death data — and act on it.
“Truly a Crisis.” Backing Abortion Access and Support Two Years After Dobbs
The Brigid Alliance, a leading U.S. abortion support provider, has staunch backers in its camp, like the Bergstrom Foundation. But rising need dwarfs incoming resources, and philanthropy has yet to go all-in.
From Breadth to Depth: The Blank Family Foundation Tackles Mental Health
The Arthur M. Blank Foundation launched its mental health and wellbeing grantmaking initiative two years ago. We explore its wide-lens approach — and what it’s learned along the way.
What’s New in Intergenerational Funding? Checking in with CoGenerate’s Marc Freedman
Marc Freedman is a key leader in a growing movement to tap the strengths of people from different generations to benefit society. We checked in with him about where funders are at and what his organization’s supporting.
What’s New in Growing Old? Checking in with Grantmakers in Aging
Now up to 145 members, the funder network is operating in an increasingly vital and surprisingly dynamic space. We chatted with CEO Lindsay Goldman to learn more about what’s going on.
Pivotal Ventures Makes the Case for Why “Care Can’t Wait”
Melinda French Gates’ rapidly expanding philanthropy signaled its intention to continue strengthening U.S. infrastructure for care, “the work that makes all other work possible.”
A Look at How a Veterans-Focused Foundation Backs Mental Healthcare
Veterans’ mental health is a major throughline in the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s support for service members. As it funds direct services, the foundation also aims to improve the field’s overall quality of care.
A Philanthropy-Backed Competition Taps Winning Cohort to Promote Youth Mental Health
Young people’s digital wellbeing is the focus for Young Futures’ Lonely Hearts Club Funding Challenge, which just announced its 10 inaugural winners. Behind the challenge are funders like Melinda French Gates and Susan Crown.
How the de Beaumont Foundation Seeks to Forge Public-Private Partnerships for Health
Finding ways for the nonprofit health arena to team up with the private sector is a specialty of this public health-focused foundation. Here’s a look at how it goes about that, in spaces ranging from child care to pandemic response.
A Conversation with Regan Gruber Moffitt, Vice President at the St. David’s Foundation
The Austin-based health funder’s VP of community investments joined us to discuss her lifelong engagement with public policy, why philanthropy really does need to address the social determinants of health, and more.
