Community-Led Practices for Strengthening Maternal and Child Health and Reducing Disparities in Fresno County, California
Statement of Interest Due:
May 3, 2024 at 5PM PDT
Read the Full Open Call (Spanish)
FAQ Document
Statement of Interest Submission Form
With this Open Call for Statements of Interest, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation hopes to learn about and connect with organizations working to support pregnant people, moms, and families with children birth to age three in Fresno County. The objective for this one-time funding opportunity is to support the development, expansion, or enhancement of innovative practices to improve maternal and child health outcomes and reduce racial disparities in Fresno. We expect to fund approximately five grants. Grant sizes will range from $50,000 to $200,000 depending on the scope of the project, typically over a 12-month grant term and we anticipate awarding grants in September 2024.
For the full Open Call, please click here (Spanish).
The Children and Families Initiative
This year, the Packard Foundation launched a new Children and Families Initiative (CFI), a ten-year strategy dedicated to improving maternal and infant health outcomes and supporting healthy child development from birth to age three, with a focus on Black, Indigenous, and Latino families. We developed this new initiative recognizing that the early years of a child’s life set the foundation for a lifetime of health, learning, and well-being. We also recognize that in the United States, Black, Indigenous, and Latino families face stark disparities in maternal health and child development outcomes, driven largely by racial biases in the systems families turn to for support. In partnership with grantees, we will focus on reducing racial disparities because the future we envision – one in which all children and families thrive – is not possible while inequities persist.
As part of the CFI, we will:
- Invest in community partners who are working on innovative practices to reduce racial disparities in maternal and child health outcomes.
- Bolster efforts to strengthen and connect the health care, child care, and financial supports systems that serve pregnant people, moms, and families with young children.
- Support a national and state advocacy effort to connect policymakers and government leaders with the research, data, and analyses they need to champion policies designed to support families with young children.
These approaches are connected and interdependent, and all are needed to create lasting change.
The CFI will make focused investments in select communities in California, Louisiana, and Mississippi, along with funding at the state level and nationally to support advocacy networks. This Open Call is focused on our work in Fresno County, CA.
Overview of Open Call for Statements of Interest
The Packard Foundation believes that many on-the-ground practices led by communities have the potential to increase positive outcomes and foster safe, healthy and joyful birthing experiences and provide comprehensive support for families with children from birth to three. Our goal with this one-time funding is to support the development, expansion, or enhancement of innovative practices to improve maternal and child health outcomes and reduce racial disparities in Fresno. We are particularly interested in reaching organizations who do not have existing relationships with the Packard Foundation. We will accept Statements of Interest from organizations of all sizes, and we especially encourage smaller grassroots organizations as well as organizations led by Black, Indigenous, Latino and People of Color to apply.
Project Examples
A wide range of projects will be considered for funding. Examples could include but are not limited to:
- Programs to support birthing people (for example prenatal and/or postnatal support groups, integrated models of care, pregnancy/childbirth education);
- Programs to support families with children birth to age three (for example parent & child play groups, fatherhood involvement programs, supports to address families’ comprehensive needs);
- Programs to support the birth workforce (for example training for doulas, community health workers, and others; supporting doulas to receive Medi-Cal reimbursement);
- Programs that test connected systems of care (for example family navigation or universal enrollment in programs; a single lead care manager who coordinates health and social needs);
Programs to support the implementation of new Medi-Cal benefits including: doula services, dyadic services and family therapy, community health workers focused on perinatal care, and enhanced care management and community supports focused on birth equity populations.
- Programs to support maternal mental health and well-being;
- Programs that incorporate in-person support alongside new technology innovations; and
- Other programs that reduce racial disparities in maternal and child health outcomes.
Open Call Timeline
| Open Call for Statements of Interest Issued | March 25, 2024 |
| Question & Answer Session* | April 11, 2024, 10-11:30am PDT |
| Statements of Interest Due | May 3, 2024 at 5PM PDT |
| Invitation to submit proposals sent to selected organizations | Week of May 20, 2024 |
| Foundation staff will hold office hours for support with proposal development | Week of June 24, 2024 |
| Proposals Due | July 12, 2024 at 5PM PDT |
| Finalists notified that their proposals will move forward for funding consideration | Week of August 12, 2024 |
| Grants Awarded | September 2024 |
| Grant Project Duration | September 2024 – August 2025 |
*Additional details on the Q&A session and how to register can be found below.
How to Submit
Question & Answer Session
We held a Q&A session on Thursday April 11 from 10-11am via Zoom. For those who could not attend, we have links to the Q&A Session Slides here and Zoom Recording here (Recording Passcode: BJ%%fYD8). We also have a Frequently Asked Questions document with written responses to all questions, that can be accessed here (and in Spanish here). If you have additional questions, please feel free to email them to [email protected].
Guidelines for Submission
As a reminder, this is an opportunity for one-time funding to develop a new program or enhance or expand an existing program. Grant funds will not support continuation of an existing program.
The following questions are to be answered with a brief Statement of Interest, submitted by 5/3/24 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.