Philanthropies are pivotal players in the health ecosystem, providing financial support for public health, medical research, health systems, workforce development, access to care, and so much more. With cutbacks in government investment, philanthropic leaders are reassessing their roles and considering how best to deploy resources to maximize impact and drive change. Beyond bridging funding gaps, the path forward can energize innovation, strategic partnerships, system redesign, and policy advocacy.

“Philanthropy is really a catalyst. We can operate with different risk calculations than government and business, and we can also operate with different time horizons,” said Brooke Anderson, President of Pivotal Ventures. “We look for levers with a ripple effect, where the things we experiment with, when they work, can be picked up by other [sectors].” During Aspen Ideas: Health 2025, she joined Richard Besser, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Karen McNeil-Miller, CEO of The Colorado Health Foundation, for a conversation with Bertha Coombs of CNBC, about the new ways philanthropies are thinking about leadership and impact in today’s changing health landscape.