Greater Washington Community Foundation and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Award $2.2 Million in Grants to Combat Maternal Health Crisis
11 Organizations Receive Funding to Address Root Causes of Maternal and Infant Mortality
On Maternal Health Awareness Day, the Greater Washington Community Foundation and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) are proud to announce $2.2 million in grants from the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund. Eleven nonprofit organizations will receive funding to improve maternal health outcomes and reduce maternal and infant mortality rates across the Greater Washington region.
The grants, funded in part by a $1.4 million investment from CareFirst, will support innovative, community-driven solutions across DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. Each of the nonprofits will receive up to $200,000 over two years to advance work in areas including access to care, mental health support, prenatal and postpartum care, economic stability, and policy advocacy.
“These investments represent our commitment to building a maternal health ecosystem that centers the communities most affected by this crisis,” said Tonia Wellons, President and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “Every one of these organizations is already embedded in the neighborhoods they serve, providing the kind of community-led, culturally responsive solutions that save lives and allow families to thrive.”
Maternal Health Awareness Day, marked annually on January 23, is a national movement to shine a light on the maternal health crisis in America. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, and the crisis hits the Greater Washington region particularly hard. Infant and maternal health disparities in the Greater Washington region disproportionately affect low-income families and communities of color. Black women in the region are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.
“Every birthing parent deserves access to safe, high-quality care. DC’s maternal mortality rate is higher than the national average—and that is unacceptable,” said Dr. Bryan O. Buckley, Head of Public Health at CareFirst. “Behind every statistic is a person, a family, and a community forever changed. Our investment in the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund reflects our commitment to advancing community-led solutions and strengthening a system of care that supports people at every stage of life.”
CareFirst’s investment in the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund reinforces the organization’s long‑standing efforts to advance maternal health across the region. For more than a decade, CareFirst has supported community‑based initiatives and equity‑focused programs that expand access to high‑quality prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum care. This new grant builds on that foundation by strengthening a coordinated, community‑led system of support designed to improve outcomes, reduce disparities, and ensure families throughout the Greater Washington area have the resources they need to thrive.
“Where you live, your income, and your race should never determine whether you survive pregnancy or childbirth,” said Dr. Marla Dean, Senior Director for Health Equity at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. “Yet that's the reality too many women in our region face. These grants support organizations that are dismantling those barriers every single day.”
“These investments will support organizations at the scale needed to create real, lasting change,” said Andrea Miano, Fund Advisor for the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund. “These grants recognize that improving maternal health requires addressing everything from housing stability to mental health support to access to culturally responsive care—not just clinical interventions.”
These grants will support vital work to identify, mitigate, and eliminate systemic barriers to optimal health outcomes for mothers, infants, and families.
Grant Recipients Include:
Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center – Creating systemic change in postpartum care through certified nurse midwives providing maternal-newborn couplet care
Community of Hope – Comprehensive maternal and child healthcare services for DC residents in under-resourced communities
GW Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health – Strengthening the maternal and child health workforce and addressing access to care and mental health support
Healthy Babies Project – Empowering disadvantaged and homeless pregnant/parenting DC youth through individualized case management and wraparound services
Luminis Health – Community-driven preconception health initiative to improve maternal health outcomes in Prince George's County
Mamatoto Village – Mothers Rising Home Visitation program providing culturally responsive perinatal home visitation services for expectant and postpartum women in DC and Prince George's County
MedStar Health Research Institute – Intensive maternal-infant mental health services addressing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
National Center for Children and Families – Black Motherhood Project addressing maternal health disparities in Montgomery County
SheRises, Inc. – Wraparound postpartum support and mentorship for young Black and Latina mothers in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties
Voices for Virginia's Children – Policy advocacy to improve access to care, economic stability, and prenatal/postpartum care in Virginia
Whitman-Walker Health – Comprehensive healthcare for pregnant women living with HIV in DC