Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center
The Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit based in Washington, DC, and is classified as a private foundation. It focuses on lowering healthcare costs to enable successful aging, using health policy research, expert analysis, education, and outreach to inform state and federal policy decisions.
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center at a glance
In short: Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center gave $4.1M across 22 grants in 2024 (avg $185K), top state District of Columbia. 32% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $4,067,258
- +112.7% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 22
- +29.4% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $184,875
- +64.4% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $123,250
- Total assets
- $5,875,145
- +77.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (7 of 22, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- District of Columbia (29% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1909 K Street Nw Suite 730, Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 729-8577
Website: https://westhealth.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute of Texas ($950K). Together the top 10 received $3.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
79 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 29 grants of 79 (37%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, the largest shares of grant dollars by recipient state were DC (29%), Texas (23%), North Carolina (13%), New York (10%), and Pennsylvania (8%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 7 of 22 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $219K; repeat grants $169K. How we count
Medians: $100K first-time, $127K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.6M (2021) to $4.1M (2024). In 2024 it made 22 grants totaling $4.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute of Texas Dallas, TX | Explore and disseminate learnings on the current landscape of older adult behavioral health (BH), primary care integration of BH, strengthening the mental health workforce, the intergenerational impacts of trauma and grief, promoting equity in BH access across the lifespan, and innovation in mental health workforce. | $950,000 |
| Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy Charlotte, NC | Engage in researching ways to lower healthcare costs through research, analysis, and support for new models of value-based payments, systems reforms, patient engagement, and cost-effective research. | $508,764 |
| Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Washington, DC | Create and disseminate two new option papers for health care policies. | $320,000 |
| Center for Health Care Strategies Inc Hamilton, NJ | Conduct a learning collaborative cohort (up to 6 states to support master plans for aging). Support for mpa national dashboard, including convening of state technical advisory group and ongoing dissemination. | $300,942 |
| Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc Menands, NY | Provide support of the annual health and aging policy fellows by coordinating targeted working sessions related to exploring aging policy issues, in addition to a behavioral health track for health and aging policy fellows. | $285,000 |
| Georgetown University Philadelphia, PA | Provide technical assistance to state policymakers on facility fee policies and conduct research on hospital financing. Create educational materials on medicare advantage policy changes and to study the impacts of facility fee reforms. | $225,000 |
| Families USA Foundation Inc Washington, DC | Expand Coalition Activities Addressing Cost of Care. | $200,000 |
| Health Care Cost Institute Inc Washington, DC | Provide access to hcci data enclave which houses de-identified healthcare claims for individuals covered by employer-sponsored insurance. Collaboration on issue briefs describing and documenting rising health care prices in the U.S. | $175,000 |
| Center for Health Policy Development Washington, DC | Build a technical assistance project to improve the quality of care and cost accountability in nursing homes. | $150,000 |
| United States of Care Campaign Arlington, VA | Create a report on state trends for lowering hospital prices, including actuarial analysis of policy strategies and to create a counter narrative against common hospital talking points. | $150,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5,875,145 | $11,337,675 | $10,831,104 | $4,067,258 | 22 | $9,218,678 |
| 2023 | $3,318,900 | $5,782,801 | $5,895,086 | $1,912,004 | 17 | $5,229,560 |
| 2022 | $3,200,645 | $5,860,900 | $5,882,841 | $2,343,556 | 15 | $6,826,674 |
| 2021 | $2,238,090 | $5,825,243 | $5,844,607 | $1,554,639 | 14 | $5,780,214 |
| 2020 | $1,141,773 | $5,710,283 | $5,823,843 | $1,687,938 | 11 | — |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Center’s work, as described on its website and reflected in its grants, includes healthcare affordability, payment and system reform, aging policy, prescription drug affordability, and behavioral health. Its 2024 grants supported work on older adult behavioral health, mental health workforce issues, healthcare costs and prices, value-based payment models, state master plans for aging, nursing-home care accountability, and hospital financing and facility-fee policies.
Its grantees include policy research, advocacy, education, and technical-assistance organizations. For example, the Center for Health Care Strategies says it aims to strengthen the U.S. health care system, particularly for people served by Medicaid. Families USA describes its vision as making high-quality health and health care equally accessible and affordable. The Alliance for Health Policy says it informs health-care solutions through nonpartisan forums for policymakers and health leaders. Tradeoffs says it aims to support smarter, more honest health-policy conversations through reporting and events.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the Center reported 22 grants totaling $4,067,258. Grants ranged from $15,000 to $950,000, with a median of $123,250. Its largest listed awards included $950,000 to Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute of Texas for work on behavioral health and aging; $508,764 to Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy for research and support on healthcare costs and payment models; and $320,000 to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget to create and disseminate health-care policy option papers.
Other listed 2024 awards included $300,942 to the Center for Health Care Strategies for a state learning collaborative and support for a national dashboard related to master plans for aging; $285,000 to the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene for Health and Aging Policy Fellows activities; $225,000 to Georgetown University for technical assistance and research on facility-fee policies and hospital financing; and $200,000 to Families USA Foundation for coalition activities addressing the cost of care.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Timothy Lash as chairman/president; Sally Hallak as secretary/treasurer/CFO; and Jonathan Zifferblatt as chief strategy officer. Directors listed were Mark McClellan, Gary West, Nick Valeriani, and Dr. Kevin Biese.
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center is led by Timothy Lash, Chairman & President since 2022 (on filings since 2020); 3 of 7 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Timothy Lash
Chairman & President
Officer & President → Chairman & President, 2022
On filings since 2020
10 hrs/week
$172K (2020) → $190K (2024)
Sally Hallak
Secretary, Treasurer & CFO
Secretary & Treasurer → Secretary, Treasurer & CFO, 2022
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$52K (2020) → $61K (2024)
Jonathan Zifferblatt
Chief Strategy Officer
On filings since 2022
5 hrs/week
$117K (2022) → $119K (2024)
Gary West
Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board → Board of Directors, 2022
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark McClellan
Board of Directors
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nick Valeriani
Board of Directors
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Kevin Biese
Board of Directors
New on the 2024 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $190K, to Timothy Lash (Chairman/President). 3 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center
How much does Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center give each year?
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center gave $4.1M across 22 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $1.9M across 17 grants.
What is Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's typical grant size?
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's median grant in 2024 was $123,250, and its average grant was $184,875, across 22 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center that year got $219K on average.
Where does Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center give grants?
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's top state is District of Columbia, with 29% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Texas (23%) and North Carolina (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Washington, DC (8 grants) and Philadelphia, PA (2 grants).
Does Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 22 grants with a stated purpose on Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's largest grantees?
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's largest 2024 grantees include Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute of Texas ($950,000), Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy ($508,764) and Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget ($320,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 44% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center?
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center reported $5.9M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Its revenue that year was $11.3M.
What does Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center fund?
The Center’s work, as described on its website and reflected in its grants, includes healthcare affordability, payment and system reform, aging policy, prescription drug affordability, and behavioral health. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's EIN?
Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-5388874. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gary-and-mary-west-health-policy-center-morg_3929ebfa013248ffac4e61fec872f0d8
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_275388874_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gary-and-mary-west-health-policy-center-morg_3929ebfa013248ffac4e61fec872f0d8},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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