In honor of International Women’s Day, The Patchwork Collective, ICONIQ Impact, and Lever for Change launched the Maternal & Infant Health Award (“the Award”), a $10 million grant competition to help improve maternal and infant health outcomes around the world.
Mothers play a critical role in the family and society, yet women in low-resource countries and communities often lack access to safe, equitable, and quality maternal and infant healthcare. According to the most recent data, over 800 women die each day from preventable complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. For each of those, an additional 20 to 30 women suffer delivery-related injuries, infections, and disabilities. Meanwhile, millions of children under the age of five die annually—the majority from preventable and treatable causes, such as birth asphyxia, pneumonia, congenital anomalies, diarrhea, and malaria. In 2019, the last year in which figures are available, there were approximately 5.2 million child deaths.
Access to maternal and infant healthcare is often determined by location, socio-economic status, and race. Inadequate maternal healthcare can result in undetected, severe complications for both the mother and child—that are mostly preventable through timely intervention, treatment, and adequate care.
The Maternal & Infant Health Award is being managed by Lever for Change, a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that leverages its networks to help donors find and fund solutions to the world’s greatest challenges—including racial and gender equity, economic development, and climate change.
Organizations from around the world are encouraged to apply. The most competitive proposals should offer solutions that are community-led, impactful, durable, and, feasible. Up to five finalists will be selected in late 2022, and the Award recipient will be announced in the summer of 2023.
University schools and departments can each register and submit separately as the Lead Organization on one application as long as the proposed solutions are distinct and separate. Duke’s Office of Foundation Relations will track applications to avoid overlap. Please email Alex de Havilland (alexandra.de.havilland@duke.edu) if you intend to apply.
Deadlines:
