Giving InSight
A Blog for and about Funders Focused on Health and the Environment
HEFN's 2019 Annual Meeting will take place in Fresno in the thick of California’s San Joaquin Valley, which holds a number of valuable lessons for the rest of the country, as the United States grapples with the challenges of a changing physical, social and political environment.
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In 1999, Michael Lerner at the Jenifer Altman Foundation and his colleagues were concerned that the health of people, wildlife, and ecosystems all were being harmed by toxic pollution, but they saw philanthropy divided by human health and environmental interests. They hired me as a part-time consultant to help them launch a new funder network, to build bridges across environmental and health philanthropy and to expand philanthropy's investment in environmental health. There's only one way for me to wrap up the experiences of the past two decades: with gratitude.
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June 13, 2019 by Daniel Cohn and Rebecca Morley
A new Lead Funders Action Network brings together national, regional, state, and local foundations who are working collaboratively and strategically to address gaps in the field of childhood lead poisoning and make philanthropic investments more synergistic to advance the prevention of the disease.
Photo by Mi Pham for Unsplash
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What can funders do to fight the “silent pandemic” of negative health impacts from chemicals that contaminate our air, food, and water? Jeff Wise, HEFN’s director of strategic programs, outlines the scope of the issue, and ways funders can help drive the systemic reform of toxics in the U.S.
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April 1, 2019 by Juliet Christian-Smith
Juliet Christian-Smith, senior program officer at the Water Foundation, shares her thoughts and previews an introductory guide for funders on how philanthropy can help support sustainable and equitable drinking water solutions.
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Who We Are
Steering Committee Member
Cynthis is the Senior Program Consultant, Climate & Environment Program. Pronouns: she, her, hers. Cynthia is the principal and CEO at Civis Consulting LLC, a consulting firm launched in 2012 to support philanthropic institutions and community-based...