Advancing Maternal Health Equity Through Primary and Preventive Care

We define “primary and preventive care” broadly, based on widely accepted definitions and feedback from stakeholders in birth equity. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services defines primary care as “health services that cover a range of prevention, wellness, and treatment for common illnesses.” In its 2021 report on Implementing High-Quality Primary Care, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine goes further and defines primary care as “continuous, person-centered, relationship-based care that considers the needs and preferences of individuals, families, and communities.” Primary care providers have ongoing relationships with patients and connections to community members and organizations, and they are well-positioned to coordinate care before, during, and after pregnancy.  

Using these broad definitions of primary care, 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 linkages to primary care.  

Projects should focus on maternal health services before, during, and up to one year after pregnancy. Because of their ongoing relationships with patients, primary care providers 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 occur—by addressing postpartum depression and coordinating specialized care. 

Projects focused exclusively on reproductive health or family planning counseling fall outside the RFP’s scope. Projects related to chronic disease management before pregnancy must be tailored to maternal health. Please see more information in the Eligible Projects questions below.  

Community linkages are connections between community and health care settings. Projects that occur in a community or home-based setting should demonstrate a connection or partnership with a primary care clinical setting. Projects can also engage trusted community members and organizations to help women and birthing people access, navigate, and advocate for their needs in the health care setting. These projects may occur in partnership between community-based social service agencies, other community- or faith-based organizations, health care providers, and/or public health departments.  

Yes. Projects that manage chronic diseases, as well as behavioral health and substance use disorders, are eligible because these chronic diseases are underlying risk factors for many of the preventable causes of maternal death and serious complications. However, projects must be tailored to maternal health and focused on women and birthing people, rather than a broader patient population.

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. 

• We recognize that many drivers of birth inequities occur outside of the health care system. Addressing health-related social needs can be a component of a project focused on improving primary and preventive maternal health care. For example, projects that propose to screen and refer to health related social-need services must be tailored to women and birthing people and be a component of a broader project.  Projects that exclusively address health-related social needs (e.g., housing, food security) will not be competitive. 

NYHealth will not support medical or biomedical research. Data analysis will be considered in cases where an analytical topic is timely, actionable, focused on a New York-specific issue, and supportive of policy or systems change.  

Given the modest amount of funding for this RFP, we are not able to support projects that focus exclusively on training for additional doulas or other birth workers. Examples of doula-related projects that align with this funding opportunity include technical assistance or advocacy to connect community-based doulas with primary care or help them bill for doula services.  

Funded projects must involve communities and patients in project design and implementation, compensate them for their contributions, and create opportunities for community growth. Examples include involving patients as project leaders, gathering sustained feedback on design, reporting on project progress with opportunities for input, and employing community ambassadors. 

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).  Both clinical providers and CBOs are eligible to apply. 

Project teams predominantly comprising people of color is one way in which project staff are well-equipped to conduct this racial equity-focused work. Other ways include other lived experience, professional qualifications, and past project leadership. 

We ask about the racial/ethnic composition of the project team in the LOI form, but if staff will be hired through the grant, please share what you know at this time. 

No, not explicitly. Given our role as a statewide funder, this RFP is not limited to or concentrating support in any area of the State.  

It is possible that competitive projects will be focused on certain regions and neighborhoods with the greatest racial disparities in maternal health.  

No, organizations must propose to serve predominantly communities of color through their project to be eligible. 

Yes. However, if an organization submits multiple LOIs for consideration as a lead applicant, only one project would be eligible to be invited to submit a full proposal. We encourage applicants to identify the project that is the highest priority for your organization and most aligned with the RFP criteria. 

Yes.

Organizations with another active NYHealth grant in spring 2025 will not be competitive. We will consider exceptions for organizations with maternal health services, departments, and community engagement approaches that are distinct from those supported by another NYHealth grant. 

 Both past NYHealth grantees and new applicants are welcome to apply. 

• Lobbying 

• General operations/core support or projects that involve funding of existing ongoing services undertaken by an organization 

• The term “general operating support” or “core support” refers to unrestricted grants for a nonprofit organization’s overall mission, rather than for specific projects or programs. These include costs associated with running an organization like rent, IT services, recouping revenue losses, or baseline operating costs. These costs should be included in NYHealth’s allowable 15% overhead amount. 

• Capital expenses (e.g., construction/renovation, furniture, vehicles, health care equipment) 

• Materials and supplies (e.g., tablets for patients) may be eligible under some circumstances if they are directly related to project activities, but costs cannot account for a major portion of the total budget. 

Yes, NYHealth allows a 15% maximum administrative overhead of project-related expenses. 

Only applicants invited to submit a full proposal will receive the full proposal application instructions via e-mail.   

We anticipate awarding approximately $1 million across 5–8 proposals, with individual projects funded up to $200,000. Funds requested must be commensurate with the work proposed. 

NYHealth typically disburses grant payments in installments at the beginning, middle (if appropriate), and end of the grant period. Fund disbursement is specific to each grant. If awarded funding, grantees will receive a formal payment and reporting timeline after notification that the grant has been approved. 

NYHealth requires written reports that include a narrative on project progress and a financial spreadsheet on grant spending to-date. Typically, NYHealth requests reports at the mid- and end-point of the grant period. However, we may adjust this reporting schedule based on the nature of the project or the organization. We can also work with the grantee to adjust our reporting schedule, as appropriate.  

Yes. Please e-mail PCRFP@nyhealthfoundation.org with any programmatic questions. We encourage you to be specific in your questions so we can offer helpful feedback. Please note, because of the large number of applicants, questions asked very close to the due date may not be answered in time. 

No, extensions are not possible. Submit early to allow time to troubleshoot any issues with Grants Management at gm@nyhealthfoundation.org if you are having technical difficulties.

If you have questions or difficulties using the grantee portal, please check out our portal resource to help troubleshoot common issues. 

We track racial/ethnic data on senior leadership to assess trends in NYHealth’s grantmaking and enhance outreach. This information will not affect funding decisions. 

NYHealth’s Board of Directors and senior leadership are predominantly white. This disclosure continues and deepens our commitment to transparency about NYHealth’s racial equity efforts.