Dear friends,

As the current administration reframes our country’s historic commitment to national and international leadership dedicated to serving the greater good, we find ourselves facing a more insecure, unequal, and dangerous world. This climate makes our focus on uplifting systemic food and nutrition work that advances health equity more important than ever, and I invite you to join H2HC as we work to strengthen our collective impact through collaboration and sharing.

We are close to launching our national 2025 Prizes for Innovation call for nominations and will be offering more information soon.

Our 2025 Fall Summit will be on Thursday, November 6, in Boston, and I hope that many of you will join us.

Finally, our November 2024 Fall Summit, Accelerating Solutions for Systemic Change, was an inspiring day that left us with a renewed sense of our collective agency and shared purpose. I invite you to read our just-released 2024 Summit report.

I look forward to collaborating with you.

Warmly,

Nicolene Hengen

Executive Director

The H2HC 2025 Fall Summit is scheduled for:

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

600 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA 02110

Stay tuned for more information in the coming months.

The 2024 H2HC Fall Summit report, Accelerating Solutions for Systemic Change, is now available. Public and private sector changemakers gathered in Boston to focus on collaborative, cross-sector approaches to systemic food and nutrition challenges. The compelling discussions highlighted creative and inspiring work from around the country.

New Public Health Communications Toolkit

The de Beaumont Foundation recently released Communicating about Public Health: A Toolkit for Public Health Professionals. The toolkit is a collection of research-based messaging and practical guidance on defining public health, and clarifying what health departments do and how their work improves our national health and well-being.

DC Central Kitchen (DCCK), a 2023 H2HC Innovation Prize winner, has received a $15 million grant from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott's Yield Giving—the largest in DCCK's history. Reflecting on her philanthropy Scott said, "I’m inspired by all the ways people invest in each other."

National Rural Health Association:

Rural Health Equity Conference

Monday-Tuesday, May 19-20, 2025, Atlanta, GA

The NRHA Rural Health Equity Conference will feature 80+ sessions focused on under-represented populations and diverse rural communities. Register here.

Health Equity Trends Summit

Wednesday, June 11, 2025, Boston, MA

The Health Equity Compact's Summit will focus on accelerating and achieving breakthroughs in health equity reform across Massachusetts. Read more here.

The Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General Brigham has launched the Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health. The $100,000 award will recognize groundbreaking work in heart disease, cancer, substance use disorder, and maternal health outcomes, as well as social factors that influence health outcomes. Two finalists will receive $10,000 each, and all awardees will participate in the Mass General Brigham World Medical Innovation Forum (WMIF).

Application submission deadline is this Friday, April 4.

More in the News:

USDA Cancels more $1 billion in funding for schools and food banks to buy food from local suppliers | CBS News

Wealth of World's Billionaires Grew by $2 Trillion in 2024|The Guardian

Deloitte: Closing the cost gap to advance women's health equity

About H2HC

H2HC supports innovative, systemic approaches to food and nutrition challenges that advance health equity, all through a focus on the social drivers of health.

H2HC Leadership Council

Contact us at INFO@h2hcollaboratory.org.

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