In July 2026, the United States reached a grim milestone when the number of confirmed cases of measles exceeded the total for all of 2025 (Devi 2026). On August 10, 2026, the White House issued an executive order directing changes to the federal childhood vaccine schedule and categories, and calls for availability of separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines. The science has not changed, but the new framework could significantly slow down the delivery of protective immunizations from these serious diseases. As it deviates from recommended clinical practice and formulation availability in the United States, the order has added to public confusion for parents and clinicians about what vaccines are available and recommended. If parents seek separate vaccines that are not currently available, the confusion may create additional burdens on the health system.

Decline in vaccine coverage and increased cases of vaccine-preventable diseases relate directly to today’s information environment. Misinformation about vaccines is growing, and Covid-19 exacerbated the decline in trust of public health.

Declining vaccination rates could become catastrophic. The rates of coverage are below community immunity levels in many jurisdictions. In addition, the costs of dealing with reemerging diseases are astronomical—on average $104,000 per US measles case in 2025 (Wells et al. 2026). Declining vaccination rates also worsen health inequities by deepening disease burden in marginalized communities. So, what can philanthropy do to help restore trust?

This article describes how Mt. Sinai Health Foundation chose to fund Grandparents for Vaccines, what the Foundation has learned so far from this effort, and why the Foundation wants to encourage others to fund efforts that encourage vaccine uptake before we lose decades of progress on vaccine preventable diseases.

Investing in Vaccine Access

Mt. Sinai is a hospital conversion foundation in Cleveland, Ohio, focused on prevention, detection, and early intervention through increased access to health services. We focus our grantmaking in Cuyahoga County with some statewide giving related to health policy.

Read the full article about changing the vaccine conversation by Mitchell Balk, Shelby Kaemmerer, and Kimberly Boller at Grantmakers In Health.