AHW Directs Nearly $3 Million of Federal Funding to Projects Focused on Maternal and Child Health

Milwaukee, Aug. 17, 2023 – The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has identified 10 community-based organizations serving diverse populations throughout the state to receive $2.8 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding designed for maternal and child health equity projects.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services routed the federal funds to MCW in November 2022 to be administered by the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) in a pool separate from the public funds the philanthropy received from the privatization of Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin in 2000.

AHW invited applications for the ARPA funds in February from Wisconsin-based non-profit hospitals and health systems; federally qualified health centers; and other nonprofit organizations to develop and improve strategies to address social determinants that contribute to Wisconsin’s significant disparities in maternal and child health outcomes.

Forty-four proposals were received by the March 6 application deadline, with 10 projects selected for funding after a rigorous review process. Of the 10 approved proposals, three provide services statewide, three are focused in Milwaukee, three address health challenges in rural areas of the state, and one serves tribal members in three northern Wisconsin counties.

“We are thrilled to be able to leverage our statewide networks and partnerships to identify and fund a really exciting slate of projects aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes in underserved communities throughout Wisconsin,” said AHW Executive Director Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH.

In addition to administering ARPA grants, AHW will, as it does with all funded partners, help build the capacity of recipients through educational programs, learning and networking events, and technical and operational assistance tools and resources.

“We want all organizations devoted to the health of the people of Wisconsin to succeed, not just in the project we fund, but in the long-term,” said Ehrenfeld. “Only then will we see real progress in our shared mission of creating a healthier Wisconsin.”

Organizations Approved for American Rescue Plan Act Funding from the Medical College of Wisconsin

Sokaogon Chippewa Community
Sokaogon Chippewa Health Clinic Maternal and Child Health Equity Sokaogon
Chippewa Community
$250,000

Malaika Early Learning Center
Effectively Addressing Social Determinants of Health through Early Childhood Education
Milwaukee
$250,000

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
Improving Collaboration with Community Partners for Equitable Pregnancy Outcomes in Milwaukee
Milwaukee
$250,000

Supporting Families Together Association
Consistency is Key: Enhancing Family Support Services with Essential Infrastructure
Statewide
$500,000

Progressive Community Health Centers
Food for Healthier Pregnant Women and Babies
Milwaukee
$500,000

Marquette University
A Culturally Informed Interdisciplinary Prevention Program for Perinatal Depression
Milwaukee, Statewide
$244,305

Wisconsin Medical Society, Inc.
Wisconsin Maternal Care Education Program
Statewide Urban and Rural
$232,467

Sauk County Health Department
Advancing a Healthier Sauk County
Sauk County
$81,551

First 5 Fox Valley
Supporting Maternal & Child Health Equity Using the Help Me Grow Model
Rural Wisconsin, Statewide
$249,620

Arbor Place, Inc.
Reaching the Un-reachable: Building Maternal and Child Health Equity Workforce in Rural Wisconsin
Rural Wisconsin
$250,000