Maternal Care Innovation Grants

Date PostedMar 6, 2024

Applications Closed

Maternal mortality is a serious public health issue in Pennsylvania, with a pregnancy-associated mortality rate of 82 deaths per 100,000 live births. Race, pre-existing health conditions, social determinants of health, and early access to prenatal care have all been linked as contributing factors of poor maternal outcomes.

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) is operating as the fiscal agent for federal Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services in order to reduce maternal mortality, morbidity, and to support new families in Pennsylvania.

Proposals are being sought for innovative maternal care grants which will positively impact maternal health outcomes. Proposals must address the goal of reducing maternal mortality, reducing maternal morbidity, and/or supporting new families in Pennsylvania. Grants may range from infrastructure, information technology, staff, services, materials, etc., so long as applications demonstrate how the grant will benefit pregnant people and/or new families. Questions can be sent to MCH-RFP@jhf.org.

Maternal care innovation RFP awardees as of 4/19/24:

Organization	Population Served	Location	Amount	Description
UPMC Magee Women's Hospital	Low-income pregnant people in public housing in Allegheny County	Allegheny County	$27,540	This funding will support a series of maternal health educational opportunities and screenings directly within low-income housing developments in Allegheny County to pregnant and postpartum people, along with mentors who will provide support and resources to participants regarding the pregnancy and postpartum periods.
The Wright Center for Community Health	Pregnant people affected by OUD/SUD in Wilkes-Barre area	Lackawanna County and Luzerne County	$200,000	The Healthy MOMS program provides prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum care, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to pregnant people experiencing OUD/SUD. This funding will support integration of handheld ultrasounds devices into primary care appointments for pregnant patients at the Wright Center, in addition to implementation of the Angel Eyes Camera into Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Moses Taylor Hospital/Commonwealth Health and Geisinger Medical Center - Wyoming Valley to support OUD/SUD affected families by providing them with 24/7 connection to their babies, improving bonding experiences and mental health. This program will also expand access to doula care for patients by integrating doulas into home visits and provide related education and support programming.
National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh	High-risk postpartum people in Allegheny County and Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	$48,500	NCJW Pittsburgh's MomsWork program reduces outflow of mothers from the labor force by offering educational programming, networking, a therapeutic support group, and advocacy for new mothers returning to the workforce. Funding will support expansion of services, including hiring additional providers, as well as increasing staff oversight to support the expanded support group, including childcare providers and an additional therapist. NCJW will also secure a larger space to accommodate more participants and purchase additional materials for psychological safety, intimacy, and comfort.
The Midwife Center for Birth and Women's Health	BIPOC birth workers and pregnant people in Allegheny County & Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	$200,000	The Midwife Center will use funding for the expansion of services to new clients by increasing community engagement and collaboration efforts, engaging in reproductive health mentorship, and training additional Student Nurse Midwives and Nurse Practitioners. They will also hire a DEI consultant to support their DEI committee and implement their plan to address workplace culture, diversifying staff and board, and increasing accessibility to services.
MAYA Organization	BIPOC birth workers in Allegheny County & Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	$50,000	This funding will support an assessment of current operations of MAYA Organization in order to reduce racial bias and improve equitable care and programming to better serve BIPOC and marginalized birthing people and birth workers. It will also support the creation of a replicable model, along with a guiding standards of practice document, that other birth care organizations can use to provide racially equitable services.
Hello Neighbor	Pregnant immigrant and refugee families in Allegheny County and surrounding Counties	Allegheny County and surrounding Counties	$200,000	Hello Neighbor will expand their current services of providing provide culturally tailored and individualized support for refugee and immigrant moms and babies. This will be achieved by expanding reach and capacity through a newly created position, Smart Start Program Coordinator, allowing for remote navigation throughout surrounding counties for virtual support, increasing outbound recruitment, and overseeing case acuity to maintain appropriate levels of case management for case managers.
Mid-Atlantic Mothers' Milk Bank	Pregnant people & health providers across PA	Statewide	$200,000	Mid-Atlantic Mothers' Milk Bank will reduce barriers to donor milk access for medically fragile infants by establishing a web-based education center, video content, clinician webinars and conferences, display materials, and awareness campaigns to raise awareness of donor milk and reinforce importance of human milk.
Maternity Care Coalition	Low-income pregnant people	Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks, and Lehigh Counties	$200,000	Maternity Care Coalition will establish a Family Support Fund to benefit low-income pregnant people and new families in Southeastern Pennsylvania by providing direct aid that will act as an economic safety net, reducing stressors, alleviating economic hardship, improving health outcomes, and reducing the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality. They will engage lived experience experts through their Community Advisory Board and the Montco Mamas initiative in the planning phase, pilot the fund in Montgomery County, and then expand to Delaware, Bucks, and Lehigh Counties.
PatientsRWaiting - Diversifying Doulas Initiative	BIPOC birth workers and pregnant people in Lancaster County	Lancaster, Harrisburg, and York	$200,000	The Diversifying Doulas Initiative aims to improve maternal health outcomes in birthing people of color through doula care in Lancaster County and beyond. PatientsRWaiting will use this funding to train 10 people of color to become doulas in Lancaster, Harrisburg, and York, reducing barriers to entry and diversifying the perinatal workforce. They will implement new weekly classes for pregnant people of color and subsidize doula services for 100 historically marginalized clients.
National Nurse-Led Care Consortium	Low-income pregnant people in Philadelphia	Philadelphia	$200,000	The National Nurse-Led Care Consortium will use this funding to reduce barriers to doula training and related certifications through scholarships that will provide training for 10 graduates of their home visiting programs to become Perinatal Community Health Worker Doulas. NNCC will partner with Maternity Care Coalition to offer trauma-informed, culturally competent trainings within an experiential learning framework. Additionally, it will provide 70 high risk pregnant home visiting clients with doula services.
Maternal and Child Health Consortium	Low-income pregnant people in Chester County	Chester and Montgomery Counties	$100,000	MCHC will hire a manager and 2 doulas to work with existing Healthy Start home visiting clients at MCHC. Community Health Workers currently provide holistic, trauma-informed care, addressing maternal health challenges, and educating clients about pre and postnatal care. Doulas will assist clients in developing birth plans, creating pregnancy care routines, provide blood pressure and depression screenings, provide referrals to a variety of resources to address social determinants of health, educate about the labor and delivery process, infant care, and self-care, as well as additional on-call support.
Foundation of Delaware County	Pregnant immigrant and refugee families in Delaware County	Delaware County	$200,000	The Foundation of Delaware County will expand their services by hiring a full time Spanish-speaking social worker to provide intensive case management to pregnant and parenting Spanish speaking immigrants and refugees, identifying and addressing barriers to accessing health and social services. Funds will also support expansion of a resource center that will help clients navigate unfamiliar systems and create opportunities for peer-to-peer support for immigrant families through parent cafes, family dinners, and immigration clinics.
University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and PA Association of Certified Nurse-Midwives	Pregnant people affected by OUD/SUD across PA	Statewide	$42,874	This funding will be used for the development of a community-engaged scholarship project and steering committee between University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing academic faculty and midwives from PA Association of Certified Nurse-Midwives to identify barriers to providing care for perinatal Opioid Use Disorder, and for developing implementation strategies to decrease barriers to care.
Once Upon a Preemie, Inc.	Health Providers across PA	Statewide	$100,000	Expanding access to training academy statewide by providing 4 e-learning courses free of charge to 100 perinatal and neonatal professionals on implicit bias. A book donation program will provide books, free of charge, to those who complete the e-learning courses. This will equip healthcare professionals to eliminate personal bias, empower families to read to their preemies in the NICU, reduce stress, address maternal mental health, promote parent/child bonding, and improve patient and provider communication.
Lehigh Valley Hospital	Rural pregnant people in Lehigh Valley	Schuylkill, Northampton, Lehigh, and Luzerne Counties	$193,260	Lehigh Valley Hospital will use this funding to reduce the load of prenatal visits for rural and low-income pregnant people by implementing virtual prenatal care, which includes patient-obtained weight, blood pressure, and fetal heart tone reporting. This will increase prenatal visit adherence, enabling patients to continue care from the convenience of homes or workplaces, avoiding the risks of maternal and neonatal morbidity that can result from insufficient prenatal care.
Beverly's Birthdays	Low-income and homeless pregnant people in Pittsburgh & Allegheny County	Pittsburgh and Allegheny County	$200,000	This funding will support combining services of Beverly's Birthdays, MAYA, and NurturePA in order to connect homeless and low-income pregnant people to resources provided by all organizations. Beverly's Birthdays provides birthday cheer and critical baby care items, like diapers, wipes, safe sleep items, clothing, and more to expectant and new families. MAYA addresses pregnancy and early parenting challenges, particularly those faced by BIPOC and marginalized people, by providing free childbirth education, mentorship, doula care, counseling, and infant care items. NurturePA promotes effective and healthy parenting through an interactive text-messaging platform where parents can engage with trained mentors who provide support and education.
ACLAMO	Low-income Latino pregnant people in Montgomery County	Montgomery County	$199,709	ACLAMO will use funding to support low-income Latinx expectant and new families in Montgomery County by providing three levels of case management, peer support groups, caregiver workshops to increase knowledge of health and wellness, and connecting people to providers supporting a continuum of care for expecting parents.
City of Philadelphia Office of Health and Human Services	Pregnant people in Philadelphia experiencing IPV	Philadelphia	$200,000	The Office of Domestic Violence Strategies within the City of Philadelphia Office of Health and Human Services will use this funding to enhance the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline, serving as the foundation of a warm handoff referral system. Additionally, they will facilitate training for hotline workers to conduct safety planning for pregnant and postpartum people experiencing domestic violence, along with increased support materials specific to pregnant and postpartum people.
University of Pittsburgh	Low-income pregnant people in Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	$199,306	This project, led by the University of Pittsburgh, will expand the reach of the family check-up preventive intervention to the prenatal period, leveraging this successful model to expand prenatal medical care and improve maternal resources and wellbeing. This model employs family coaches who use motivational interviewing and empower parents to identify goals and potential interventions to meet their goals.
Philly Joy Bank	Pregnant and postpartum Philadelphians	Philadelphia	$198,565	Philly Joy Bank will provide benefits and financial counseling to participants to decrease prenatal and postpartum stress, improve ability to address concrete needs, improve access and engagement in healthcare, and improve parent-child attachment and engagement.
Masters of Maternity	Students interested in receiving doula training and certification.	Statewide	$100,000	Masters of Maternity will engage in workforce development by providing scholarships to student from marginalized populations for doula training, an expanded training to reach community colleges across Pennsylvania, along with technical support through sustainability tools that doulas can use after they have completed their training. Expansion of doula training will initially focus on community colleges in the Allegheny County area.
African Family Health Organization	Pregnant African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees in the greater Philadelphia area	Greater Philadelphia region	$99,197	AFAHO will expand their current maternal child health program through breastfeeding awareness and support, hiring culturally appropriate doulas to serve clients, establishment of a social support group, strengthening workshop curriculum, and providing material resources to ensure pregnant African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees in the greater Philadelphia region have what they need to keep their babies safe and healthy.
New Sun Rising (Unshakeable Motherhood)	African American and low-income families in the Greater Pittsburgh region	Pittsburgh	$100,000	An app called NurtureHer, facilitated through a collaborative network of mommy concierges and birth workers deployed via the app, will offer both in-person and virtual guidance to African American and low-income families in the greater Pittsburgh region. They offer doula support, meal delivery, laundry assistance, and educational programs covering maternity, birth, and postpartum.
Brown Mamas	Black birthing and pregnant people in Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	$100,000	Brown Mamas, an organization based in Pittsburgh, will organize a "Womb, Wealth, & Wellness Weekend Conference." This event will focus exclusively on the holistic health and wellness needs of the Black mothering community in Pittsburgh. It will help to strengthen connections between community-based organizations and the families they serve, build awareness around new tech-focused solutions to maternal health issues, provide shared-decision making opportunities between health organizations and the families they serve, and more.
Malama Health	Pregnant Pennsylvanians with gestational diabetes mellitus and those with pregestational diabetes.	Statewide	$99,856	Malama Health will expand their Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) management app to serve pregnant Pennsylvanians with gestational diabetes and those with pregestational diabetes. The app integrates mobile technology with biometric tracking devices to enable patients with GDM to sync their blood glucose values and easily log meals on their phones while providers asynchronously and remotely view patient's blood glucose logs and meal information in real-time.
Healthy Start	All families, and especially Black families, in Allegheny County	Allegheny County	$200,000	Healthy Start will support the Allegheny County Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Committee to improve systems of care, services, and resources for pregnant and birthing people. They aim to decrease the disparity in hypertensive disorders in pregnancy for Black birthing people by increasing access to blood pressure monitoring and education for Black birthing people and their families. Additionally, the FIMR Case Review Team will conduct interviews with parents who have experienced fetal loss and develop a standard rotation for presenting cases and recommendations to the FIMR Community Action Team. Funding will also be used to develop IT infrastructure within the organization.
Health Equity Anti-Racism (HEAR) Committee of the Pennsylvania Association of Certified Nurse Midwives (PA-ACNM)	Black, Biracial Black, and African American folks who are interested in midwifery education and training	Statewide	$200,000	This funding will support the education of Black, Biracial Black, and African American midwives to build a more diverse midwifery workforce across Pennsylvania, thereby increasing access to racially concordant reproductive and primary care and reducing racial disparities in pregnancy and healthcare outcomes.
Foundation of Delaware County	Low-income expectant parents in Delaware County	Delaware County	$200,000	The Foundation of Delaware County will build their existing home visiting program out to include doulas; the expansion will involve services to low-income expectant parents in Delaware County. The Foundation will conduct outreach, screening and referral, doula support, integration into the continuum of care, evaluation of the program, and dissemination of findings to raise awareness and encourage evidence-based decision-making.
University of Pennsylvania	Pregnant and postpartum Philadelphians	Philadelphia	$199,242	Penn will conduct a landscape analysis and community listening sessions to comprehensively understand the prenatal care landscape in Philadelphia. Then, they will establish a prenatal care consortium called BirthBridge Philly, which will lay the groundwork for implementation of the AIM Community Care Initiative entitled "Community Care Postpartum Safety and Wellness Bundle," which provides steps to establish a system of care from birth through the first year postpartum. This will ensure that pregnant and postpartum people in Philadelphia receive the care and support needed to recover from birth, acclimate to motherhood, addressing medical, behavioral health, and psychosocial needs.
Family First Health	Black pregnant and postpartum people in York, PA, with a specific focus on Haitian populations	York	$200,000	Family First Health will expand their existing Connections for a Healthy Pregnancy program, which connects pregnant people with a Community Health Worker (CHW) so as to help navigate prenatal and postpartum care, access resources, and overcome systemic barriers to health. A CHW fluent in Haitian Creole will be hired through this grant to serve the Haitian pregnant and parenting population in York, PA.
Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania	WIC-eligible pregnant people in central Pennsylvania	Central Pennsylvania counties, including: Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Somerset, and Union.	$193,634	FHCCP will design, pilot, and evaluate enhanced maternal care screening at FHCCP WIC clinics within their 11 PA county footprint. Interventions may include: blood pressure testing, home STI kits, depression screening, smoking and alcohol use screening and education, contraceptive screening and education, and prenatal care screening and education.
Casa San Jose	Latino expectant mothers in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas	Pittsburgh and Allegheny County	$120,000	Casa San Jose will implement a maternal health support program, Naciendo Juntos, to educate Latino mothers on stages of pregnancy, pre and postnatal care, newborn care, and other information to support a safe childbirth experience. 6–10 week intensive workshops will be held, providing information for expectant mothers in a language and culturally accessible environment.
BirthRoot Community Doula Alliance	Marginalized and vulnerable birthing people in Erie as well as those experiencing pregnancy loss	Erie	$200,000	BirthRoot will implement a Rapid Response Project for pregnant people in the Erie region. Pregnant people who have not previously established a relationship with a doula can receive immediate connection to one during a bereaved birth or under-supported live birth 24 hours a day. BirthRoot will also establish a warm handoff program at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital and UPMC Hamot Medical Center for vulnerable pregnant people discharged from triage and will provide no-cost services throughout the remainder of the pregnancy.