Philanthropy at an Inflection Point: Why the Future Belongs to Health Foundations That Build Trust, Discipline and Investable Visions
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Philanthropy stands at an inflection point. Data emerging from Giving USA, the nation's longest-running and most comprehensive study of charitable giving, suggests American generosity remains remarkably resilient. Yet beneath the encouraging headlines lies a more consequential story—one that should fundamentally change how health foundations think about fundraising, donor engagement, stewardship, board involvement and strategic investment. Organizations that will thrive over the next decade will not be those that simply work harder. They will be those that think differently. They will understand philanthropy is becoming more concentrated. They will recognize not all donors behave the same way. They will abandon the idea that every worthy project deserves philanthropic investment. They will treat stewardship as a revenue protection strategy, trust as a strategic asset and philanthropy itself as a form of catalytic capital. Most importantly, they will recognize many of the sector's emerging challenges are not fundraising problems. They are leadership problems, strategy problems and resource allocation problems. The newly released Giving USA 2026: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2025 report provides an ideal opportunity to reconsider these issues. Explore the PDF below for a closer look at the Giving USA 2026 report and what its findings reveal about the future of philanthropy.
About the Author:
Betsy Chapin Taylor, FAHP, serves as CEO of Accordant. She is an award-winning author, speaker and consultant drawing on more than 30 years’ experience in health care philanthropy including 17 years as chief philanthropy officer and foundation president in academic, community and children’s hospitals. Betsy specializes in leadership engagement and philanthropy strategy.
Betsy is the author or editor of multiple books including Healthcare Philanthropy: Advance Charitable Giving to Your Organization’s Mission (Health Administration Press), Boards and Philanthropy: Developing the Next-Curve Revenue Source for Health Care (American Hospital Association), Redefining Healthcare Philanthropy (Association for Healthcare Philanthropy), Advancing the CEO’s Role in Healthcare Philanthropy (American College of Healthcare Executives), Transforming Health Care Philanthropy (Association for Healthcare Philanthropy) and Systemization and Regionalization of Health Care Philanthropy (Association for Healthcare Philanthropy).
Her work has been featured in national trade publications for philanthropy and health care management including Healthcare Executive, Trustee, BoardRoom Press, Modern Healthcare, H&HN Daily, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, FierceHealthFinance, Healthcare Philanthropy Journal, Chief Executive Officer, Becker’s Hospital Review, Pediatric Focus, Health Facilities Management and more. Betsy serves an an advisor and author for The Governance Institute. She is also a frequent resource contributor and speaker for the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Hospital Association.
Betsy received a Master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York and an MBA from the University of Georgia. She holds the highest level of certification in health care philanthropy as a Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (FAHP).
