Most of our team was away from the office last week, but for a very exciting reason – the Horizon Foundation served as one of the hosts and main sponsors of the 2026 Grantmakers in Health (GIH) Annual Conference in Baltimore. It was an incredible experience to gather with more than 250 organizations and over 800 people from across the country and learn from one another about how we as funders can respond to the needs of our communities in this moment. With a theme of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Health,” we heard from a number of inspiring individuals and organizations working to ensure that all people can be healthy and thrive. Our team attended a variety of sessions that align with priorities outlined in our strategic plan, from housing, mental health, Medicaid, maternal health and enhancing connection with community. Our president and CEO, Nikki Highsmith Vernick, who also serves as Vice Chair on the GIH Board, had the opportunity to introduce Maryland’s Speaker of the House, Joseline Peña-Melnyk, as a plenary speaker. She and our Trustee, Lou Hutt III, also led a session about Board governance during challenging times. And our team worked tirelessly over the last several months preparing to lead two different site visits: one to Health Care for the Homeless and Patuxent Commons to discuss housing, and the other to CarePoint Response to showcase how the Crisis Now model and 988 are transforming behavioral health crisis response in our region.
Here are a few takeaways from some of our staff members about their GIH experience:
“‘Information is a social determinant of health.’ This was a powerful quote that stood out for me at the Grantmakers in Health Conference last week. Right now, we are experiencing a loss of trust not only in public health systems and infrastructure, but also in the news, research and sources of information and data. Because of government rollbacks, philanthropy organizations can help fill the gap that now exists in funding equity-related research or media sources that many public health institutions rely on for race, ethnicity and gender statistics to inform their work. I’m glad that our team had the opportunity to connect with others in this space to learn more about the local news and information ecosystem, to support us in our mission towards health equity.” – Shari Arroyo-Brown, Director of Communications
“GIH’s annual conference serves as a vital opportunity to connect grantmakers from across the country and share innovative approaches to philanthropy. By both measures, this year’s conference was among the best yet. I greatly enjoyed engaging with colleagues from around the nation about how they are deepening their connections with their communities and adapting to an ever-changing landscape. Two sessions stood out to me: (1) The session on mission-aligned investing was particularly valuable, bringing together those of us working on the financial side to explore ways endowments can advance organizational missions beyond the traditional ESG framework. (2) I also appreciated a session that convened grants managers, communications directors and organizational leaders to examine information as a social determinant of health. The discussion focused on strategies for expanding access to accurate, reliable information in smaller geographic communities and highlighted the important role philanthropy can play in addressing information inequities.” – Anne Brinker, Chief Operating Officer
“One session that particularly resonated with me focused on building community power. The discussion reinforced many of the approaches we are pursuing at the Foundation, including listening deeply to community, investing in relationship-building, and thoughtfully considering how we can share and leverage our power as a funder. I also learned about new strategies and examples from peers that sparked ideas for our own work. My favorite moment of the conference was hearing from Gladys Vega, President and CEO of La Colaborativa. Her story of dedication, perseverance, and service during the COVID-19 pandemic was both inspiring and grounding. She reminded us that meaningful change is driven by people who remain deeply connected to their communities and committed to showing up during the most challenging times. Her remarks were a powerful reminder of why this work matters and the impact that community-centered leadership can have.” – Kenitra Fokwa, Program Director
“I’ve always found GIH to be a wonderful gathering of health funders from around the country. This year was particularly special — intriguing sessions, great tours that highlighted our healthcare coverage, housing and mental health work here in Maryland, an inspiring plenary speech by Maryland Speaker of the House, Joseline Peña-Melnyk, and a ton of networking with colleagues from around the country. One terribly upsetting thing I learned? Though they were not specifically targeted by Congressional cuts to Medicaid, more than 2 million children have already lost Medicaid coverage since January of 2025. Coverage losses will lead to sicker children and families and higher healthcare costs for us all. We have work to do.” – Glenn Schneider, Chief Program Officer
