Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care RFP

Overview

Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care RFP

The New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) is launching a statewide Request for Proposals (RFP) to support projects that advance maternal health equity for Black New Yorkers and other New Yorkers of color. Funded projects will address racial disparities through high-quality primary care, preventive care, and/or community linkages to care. They will meaningfully engage communities and patients.

The funding opportunity will support projects that identify racial disparities in maternal health care and outcomes, use primary and preventive care to reduce those disparities, and measure progress to improve racial health equity. Project activities can occur before, during, and/or up to one year after pregnancy. Projects can take place in various clinical settings (e.g., family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, behavioral health), as well as in community-based settings with strong primary care linkages. Clinical-community partnerships—formal connections between health care providers, community-based social service agencies, other community- or faith-based organizations, and/or public health departments—are encouraged to apply.

Funding

NYHealth anticipates awarding approximately $1 million across 5–8 proposals, with individual projects funded up to $200,000.

Eligibility

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Application Details

Improving the state of
New York’s health
November 2024 Page 1 of 6
Request for Proposals
Deadlines
Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through
Letter of Inquiry (LOI) Due Date:
Primary and Preventive Care
January 10, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
Applicants must first complete a letter of inquiry form (LOI). Please
Full Proposal Invitation/LOI
visit the Apply for Funding section of our website to find detailed
Declination Notification:
LOI submission instructions, a link to our applicant portal, and
February 18, 2025
frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Full Proposal Due Date (invited
I. About the Foundation applicants only):
March 19, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
NYHealth is a private, statewide foundation dedicated to improving
the health of all New Yorkers, especially people of color and others
Award/Declination Notification:
who have been historically marginalized. To achieve meaningful May 2025
impact, the Foundation makes grants, informs health care policy
Important dates and deadlines will be
and practice, and spreads effective programs that work to improve
posted to the Apply for Funding
New York’s health system and make it more equitable. The
section of our website.
Foundation’s grantmaking is focused on three priority areas: Primary
Care; Healthy Food, Healthy Lives; and Veterans’ Health. We also
Additionally, we encourage you to sign
engage in responsive grantmaking through a Special Projects Fund. up for NYHealth e-mail alerts to
receive important funding notifications.
This RFP aligns with NYHealth’s Primary Care priority area, which
aims to (1) expand primary care access, (2) advance racial health
equity, and (3) strengthen the workforce of community health
workers and medical assistants. NYHealth’s focus on maternal
health equity reflects our commitment to ensure primary care
drives improved health outcomes and advances health equity for
communities of color.
II. Background
NYHealth is launching a statewide Request for Proposals (RFP) to support projects that advance maternal
health equity for Black New Yorkers and other New Yorkers of color. Funded projects will address racial
disparities through high-quality primary care, preventive care, and/or community linkages to care. They will
meaningfully engage communities and patients. NYHealth anticipates awarding approximately $1 million
across 5–8 proposals, with individual projects funded up to $200,000.
NYHealth Request for Proposals — Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care
VOICE: 212-664-7656 FAX: 646-421-6029 MAIL: 1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York NY 10018 WEB: www.NYHealthFoundation.org

Improving the state of
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November 2024 Page 2 of 6
Maternal death and serious complications, particularly among Black women and birthing people, are
some of the most glaring and persistent racial health disparities. While pregnancy and childbirth can
be a time of joy when families have the care and support they need to thrive, too many women and
birthing people of color have limited access to empowering, whole-person care that promotes safe and
healthy pregnancies. In New York State and City, Black people¹ are four and six times more likely,
respectively, than white people to die from pregnancy-related causes.²,³ For every maternal death, up to
100 serious birth complications occur,⁴ affecting Black women and birthing people at 2.3 times the rate of
white women and birthing people.
Other communities of color, including Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native women and birthing
people, also experience higher maternal death and complication rates than white women and birthing
people. These disparities often affect marginalized groups—such as immigrants and Indigenous
language speakers—in specific neighborhoods.
Nearly 3 out of 4 pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, with cardiovascular issues, mental health
conditions, infection, and injury among the leading causes.⁵ Many contributing factors rooted in structural
racism—like community disinvestment, income inequality, and racism-related weathering—exist outside
the health care system.⁶ Within the health care system, implicit bias, limited access to prenatal and
postpartum care, overuse of cesarean deliveries, and inadequate response to complications also drive
maternal health disparities.⁷,⁸
But there is hope. Although not all drivers of birth inequities can be addressed by the health care system,
there are meaningful opportunities to improve maternal health care and patient experience.
Primary care presents a critical opportunity to address maternal health disparities. Primary care
providers are well-positioned to coordinate care before, during, and after pregnancy. Because of their
ongoing relationships with patients, they can intervene early to prevent and manage chronic conditions,
mental health, substance use disorders, and pregnancy-related complications before they get worse.
Primary care also plays a critical role after pregnancy—where more than half of maternal deaths occur⁹—
by addressing postpartum depression and coordinating specialized care. These providers can also
partner with community organizations to offer culturally appropriate, comprehensive care that meets the
needs of marginalized groups.
Primary care is currently underused. Only one-third of pregnant people report receiving care from a
primary care provider in the past year.¹⁰ Patients of color often face barriers to accessing high-quality,
culturally appropriate care before, during, and after pregnancy.
NYHealth Request for Proposals — Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care
VOICE: 212-664-7656 FAX: 646-421-6029 MAIL: 1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York NY 10018 WEB: www.NYHealthFoundation.org

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November 2024 Page 3 of 6
Yet, primary care is increasingly being recognized as a tool to advance maternal health equity.
Federal programs are testing novel models of maternal health in primary care. New York State has
extended Medicaid postpartum coverage to one year; expanded reimbursement for community health
workers and doulas; and increased access to other maternal health services. New York City has also
launched neighborhood-based initiatives across the City. Community-based organizations (CBOs) are
building upon local assets to implement promising preventive care initiatives.
NYHealth seeks to complement these and other investments to advance maternal health equity across
New York State.
III. Funding Opportunity
This RFP will support projects that advance maternal health equity for Black New Yorkers and other New
Yorkers of color through high-quality primary care, preventive care, and/or community linkages to care.
Funded projects will meaningfully engage communities and patients.
The funding opportunity will support projects that identify racial disparities in maternal health care and
outcomes, use primary and preventive care to reduce those disparities, and measure progress to
improve racial health equity. Project activities can occur before, during, and/or up to one year after
pregnancy.
Using a broad definition of primary care,¹¹ projects can take place in various clinical settings (e.g., family
medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, behavioral health), as well as in community-based settings
with strong primary care linkages. Clinical-community partnerships—formal connections between health
care providers, community-based social service agencies, other community- or faith-based
organizations, and/or public health departments—are encouraged to apply.
Applicants should identify a specific maternal health disparity in the community or clinical setting that
will be addressed through the project. Examples of projects that NYHealth may support include, but are
not limited to:
Integrating postpartum check-ups into pediatric visits.
Improving communications about substance use disorder screening to reduce stigma and family
separation fears.
Using telehealth or remote patient monitoring to supplement in-person prenatal and postpartum
care.
Creating or strengthening clinical partnerships with maternal home visiting programs.
Activating neighborhood, faith-based, and grassroots networks to help women and birthing people
access and navigate primary and preventive care services.
NYHealth Request for Proposals — Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care
VOICE: 212-664-7656 FAX: 646-421-6029 MAIL: 1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York NY 10018 WEB: www.NYHealthFoundation.org

Improving the state of
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November 2024 Page 4 of 6
Conducting technical assistance or advocacy to connect community-based doulas with primary care
and help them bill for doula services.
Testing new models of interprofessional consultation on perinatal mood disorders.
Developing linguistically appropriate clinical, outreach, or advocacy services.
Note: Projects focused exclusively on reproductive health or family planning counseling fall outside this
RFP’s scope. Projects in the preconception period should focus on health promotion or management of
risk factors like chronic disease, behavioral health, and substance use disorder, tailored to maternal
health.
Please consult the FAQs for more information.
IV. Selection Criteria
Projects must:
Address racial/ethnic maternal health inequities and serve predominantly communities of color,
with a focus on the communities, regions, and neighborhoods with the greatest disparities.
Provide or enhance primary care, preventive care, and/or community linkages to care.
Meaningfully engage communities and patients.
Meaningful engagement strategies could include, for example: involving patients or community
members as project leaders; seeking substantive feedback on project design (beyond a single focus
group or survey); reporting on project progress and inviting suggestions for improvement; employing
community ambassadors for outreach; compensating community members for their contributions; and
creating opportunities for professional development.
Other selection criteria include, but are not limited to:
Commitment to racial health equity in project design, execution, evaluation, and communications;
Clear, measurable project metrics and a plan to assess progress in narrowing identified health
disparities;
A project team with lived and professional experience that positions them well to implement racial
equity-focused projects (priority will be given to project teams comprising predominantly people of
color);
Strong partnerships between clinical and CBOs, if applicable (please see description under Eligible
Organizations below);
Potential for replication and/or generating new learnings; and
Potential to sustain the project operationally and financially beyond the grant period.
NYHealth Request for Proposals — Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care
VOICE: 212-664-7656 FAX: 646-421-6029 MAIL: 1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York NY 10018 WEB: www.NYHealthFoundation.org

Improving the state of
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November 2024 Page 5 of 6
V. Eligibility and Funding
Eligible Organizations: Organizations must operate and be based in New York State. Applicants may
partner with non-New York-based organizations if they bring essential resources or expertise.
Eligible entities include nonprofits, for-profit organizations, government agencies, and academic
institutions. Organizations may conduct clinical care, community-based services, patient advocacy,
policy analysis, public health services, or research. Both past NYHealth grantees and new organizations
are welcome to apply. Individuals are not eligible.
Both clinical providers and CBOs are eligible to apply. In clinical-CBO partnerships, competitive projects
will include project team leadership from both CBOs and health care providers, demonstrated buy-in
from both institutions, a history of collaboration, and financial support provided to CBOs (if CBOs are not
the lead applicant).
Funding Requests: Individual project budgets will be capped at $200,000. Funds requested must be
commensurate with the work proposed.
Funds cannot be used to support general operating expenses or lobbying. NYHealth generally does not
fund capital unless it is critical to project design (e.g., remote patient monitoring equipment) and costs
comprise a modest proportion of total expenses.
Grant Period: Projects will range from 12–24 months.
VI. Application Process
Step 1: Complete an online LOI by January 10, 2025, at 1 p.m. Detailed submission instructions are in the
Apply for Funding section of the NYHealth website.
Step 2: Selected applicants will be invited via e-mail to submit a full proposal by February 18, 2025, with
submissions due by March 19, 2025, at 1 p.m.
Following review by a panel of external experts and Foundation staff, applicants will be notified of final
grant decisions by the end of May 2025.
Contact Information:
For programmatic questions, contact the primary care team at PCRFP@nyhealthfoundation.org.
For technical questions, contact NYHealth Grants Management at gm@nyhealthfoundation.org.
NYHealth Request for Proposals — Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care
VOICE: 212-664-7656 FAX: 646-421-6029 MAIL: 1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York NY 10018 WEB: www.NYHealthFoundation.org

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VII. Endnotes
¹ While we use the broad term of “Black people,” we recognize that Black people (e.g., Afro-Latina
women and birthing people) have different and intersecting racial and ethnic identities, often creating
compounding experiences of racism and discrimination.
² New York State Department of Health. (2023). New York State report on pregnancy-associated deaths
in 2018-2020.
https://www.health.ny.gov/community/adults/women/maternal_mortality/docs/maternal_mortality_r
eview_2018-2020.pdf.
³ New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2023). Pregnancy-associated mortality in
New York City, 2016-2020. New York City Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/ms/pregnancy-associated-mortality-report-2016-
2020.pdf.
⁴ New York State Health Foundation. (2020). Complications of childbirth: Racial/ethnic disparities in
severe maternal morbidity in New York State. https://nyhealthfoundation.org/resource/complications-
of-childbirth-racial-ethnic-disparities-in-severe-maternal-morbidity-in-new-york-state/.
⁵ New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (2023).
⁶ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Working together to reduce Black maternal
mortality. Women’s Health. https://www.cdc.gov/womens-health/features/maternal-mortality.html.
⁷ Souza, J.P. et al. (2024). A Global Analysis of the Determinants of Maternal Health and Transitions in
Maternal Mortality. The Lancet Global Health, 12(2), e306-316.
⁸ New York State Department of Health. (2023).
⁹ New York State Department of Health. (2023).
¹⁰ Kozhimannil, K.B.; Fontaine P. (2013). Care from Family Physicians Reported by Pregnant Women in the
United States. Annals of Family Medicine, 11(4), 350-354.
¹¹ Widely accepted definitions of primary care focus on the characteristics of primary care, rather than
the setting in which it occurs. For instance, Barbara Starfield popularized the 4 “Cs” of primary care: first
contact, comprehensiveness, coordination, and continuity. In its 2021 report on Implementing high-
quality primary care: Rebuilding the foundation of health care, the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine defines primary care providers as “those that deliver continuous, person-
centered, relationship-based care that considers individual, family, and community needs and
preferences.”
NYHealth Request for Proposals — Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care
VOICE: 212-664-7656 FAX: 646-421-6029 MAIL: 1385 Broadway, 23rd Floor, New York NY 10018 WEB: www.NYHealthFoundation.org