Key for Acquisition Type (alpha order):
RFA = Request for Application
RFB = Request for Bid
RFI = Request for Information
RFP = Request for Proposal
Background
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Division of Public Health (DPH) announces the availability of funds to establish and execute Maternal Health Innovation Projects. This announced opportunity will focus providing funding to support statewide or local maternal health innovation projects. Projects will need to focus on promoting and executing innovation in maternal health service delivery through addressing critical gaps in direct clinical care, workforce, partnership and/or community engagement. The project goal will focus on increasing access utilizing a holistic pregnancy care model in community settings.
The purpose of this program is to reduce maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity by supporting programming that improves maternal health and addresses maternal health disparities through quality services, a skilled workforce, enhanced data quality and capacity, and innovative programming. Health status and care received by individuals before, during, and after a pregnancy are strong contributing factors to maternal mortality and morbidity. In addition to there being room for improvement in maternal health outcomes overall in Wisconsin, there are stark maternal mortality and morbidity inequities that need to be addressed. Although the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and its partners have started to address these inequities, the State Maternal Health Innovation (MHI) Program provides an opportunity to convene diverse partners to move maternal health forward in the state. The MHI Program serves as a catalyst to accelerate improvement, address inequities, and identify medical and non-medical causes of maternal mortality and morbidity.
Funding availability
Grant funding is expressly dependent upon the availability of funds to DHS from the State Maternal Health Innovation Program. Applicants will be awarded based on available funding, program priorities, capacity, and ability to meet application criteria. This project period begins October 1, 2024 and ends September 30, 2028. The anticipated year one individual award amount is up to $100,000. Subsequent contract years will run October 1–September 30, with up to $100,000 available annually, based on performance and funding.
Annual funding must be spent within the contract year with no extensions. Should additional funding become available at any point during the grant period, DHS reserves the right to use the results of this competitive application process to increase funding to selected agencies based on performance, or to fund additional agencies that applied but were not funded originally. DHS also reserves the right to award grants for less than an applicant’s proposed amount.
Eligibility
Organizations and/or individuals that apply for funding must be based in Wisconsin and may include governmental entities, such as counties, cities, local health or human services departments, other public entities, or 501(c)(3) organizations including but not limited to community-based organizations and faith-based organizations. All applicants must have or obtain a Universal Entity ID (UEI) from sam.gov and must not be disbarred, suspended, or ineligible.
Eligible organizations and/or individuals must demonstrate their capacity to provide and coordinate strategies that advance the initiatives of this application. Eligible organizations may not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or national origin in their staffing policies, use of volunteers, or provision of services.
Application instructions
Interested entities should apply by answering the following questions with a written response and/or may choose to utilize video format to answer questions 1-6. If submitting a video response, please email a written response to questions on page 4 in the same email as your video submission. Videos responses may be shared via an online link or by sharing the video file directly. Regardless of format, all questions must be answered to be eligible for funding. Applicants are encouraged to review the scoring criteria below.
Our team strives to ensure accessibility and accommodation for all grant candidates. Please contact Melissa Brockie at Melissa.Brockie@dhs.wisconsin.gov with any requests for accommodations, translation, technical assistance, or general inquiries about this opportunity.
The application, included in the funding announcement attachment, should be submitted to Melissa Brockie by email to Melissa.Brockie@dhs.wisconsin.gov no later than July 1, 2024, 6 p.m. CDT. We will confirm receipt of your application via email. If you do not receive a response, follow up with Melissa Brockie to ensure we have received your application.