Welcome Home: The New HEFN.org is Philanthropy's Place for Health and the Environment

This blog post was written by HEFN Communications Associate Lauren Linville and HEFN Director Kathy Sessions.

Drum roll, please! HEFN is pleased to introduce its newly renovated website.  The new HEFN.org draws on 15 years of experience with funders who care about healthy people, cleaner environments and more equitable communities.  We’re excited to offer environmental health and justice philanthropy a new “home” on the web. 

Newly interested in these issues? The new HEFN.org has you covered. Learn and explore, with:

• Accessible profiles on high priority issues for many HEFN members.  We’ve just added two new issue briefs to give funders a good “first read” on Chemicals and Environmental Health Basics, along with HEFN briefs on fracking and community-focused environmental health and justice grantmaking.
• Real-world tales of grantmaking and project outcomes in our Funder Stories series. Current stories featured range from mapping urban “toxic hot spots” to promoting healthier housing.
• Introductions to philanthropic leaders on HEFN’s national Steering Committee, from leading national, regional, and local foundations.

For funders already involved in environmental health and justice, the new HEFN.org can help you:

• Keep up with what your colleagues are thinking – or share your ideas – through weekly blogs offering fresh perspectives about environmental health philanthropy.   Recent blog posts include context for the WV Chemical Spill and an exclusive overview of environmental health and justice grantmaking data from the Environmental Grantmakers Association.
• Connect and collaborate within HEFN and across philanthropy, including through HEFN working groups, upcoming events, and membership.  
• Access member-only information and tools to help members network, share information, and find new partners. Members who log into the website can view webinar details and search HEFN’s Member Directory.

Above all, the most noticeable change to HEFN.org is the design. New issue area icons, a clean, open layout, and more images aim to ease navigation and encourage exploration. Best of all, adaptive design features mean the website is accessible whether you’re visiting it on a desktop computer, mobile phone or tablet!

We hope you’ll visit our corner of the web often to find resources, learn about emerging issues in environmental health and environmental justice, check the events page for webinars and meetings, and find collaboration partners in philanthropy.

Many thanks to HEFN’s website consultants, Adam Rasmussen of UX Interactive and Margaux O’Malley of Grand Junction Design, for helping guide the website’s contemporary design and overall awesomeness. And special thanks to the Heinz Endowments, the Kresge Foundation, and Marisla Foundation for the support that made HEFN’s new website possible.