In 2014, the John and Wauna Harman Foundation commissioned a field scan examining the landscape of U.S. philanthropic funding around end-of-life issues. Since the field is large and growing and encompasses a broad range of initiatives—from reforming policy to strengthening palliative care to renovating hospice facilities—we narrowed our focus to look primarily at work involving media and public engagement. In 2015, we elected to update the scan and make it public for the benefit of grantmakers like ourselves who wish to become involved in end-of-life work.
Over several months, and through a combination of interviews, literature review, and online research, we surveyed the broader history of funding in the space and assembled a series of profiles highlighting select key players (both funders and organizations) currently active; funders who had exited the field but whose earlier contributions were formative; and seminal documents and reports.
End-of-Life Scan– Literature Review