UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital is pleased to announce the availability of a Prenatal, Postnatal and Infant (PPI) Services funding opportunity for local non-profit organizations to support planning grants that will lead to the development of multi-year comprehensive action plans that address prenatal, postnatal and infant needs of various at-risk populations in HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital’s service area.  

Total Planning Grant funds to be distributed: $40,000
Recommended Funding: up to $20,000
Anticipated number of Planning Grants: 2

Note: Planning Grants must be used for the development of comprehensive action plans. Awardees will then be eligible to submit their comprehensive action plans to be considered for Implementation Awards of up to $250,000 over three years to implement their plans. Planning Grant Awardees will be considered to receive multi-year grant awards, if requirements are met.

Key Dates

Funding Availability

Planning Grants

HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital is expected to provide two (2) planning grants of approximately $20,000 each with evaluation technical assistance resources.

Implementation Awards

Planning Grant Awardees will be eligible to submit their comprehensive action plans to address prenatal, postnatal and infant needs within six months of award to be considered for project implementation funding of up to $225,000 over three years. It is anticipated that HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital will award two Implementation Awards.

Eligibility Criteria

Only nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) status are eligible to apply. If an applicant organization does not have a 501(c)(3), it must have a fiscal agent that will be responsible for budgetary management. A W-9 form will be required. Hospitals and medical schools are not eligible, but encouraged to partner with eligible organizations.

In addition, applicants are required to have:

• Timely submission of a complete and thorough application that describes the planning process to develop a multi-year comprehensive action plan that will address prenatal, postnatal and infant needs of various at-risk populations in HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital’s service area
• Demonstrated capacity to address one or more of the procurement focus areas
• Demonstrated commitment and plan to promote racial justice, health equity and reproductive justice
• Demonstrated capacity and experience in providing prenatal, postnatal and infant services, supporting pregnant and birthing people, and/or addressing maternal health disparities in the service area
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with other community-based agencies and community members to maximize access to prenatal and perinatal services
• Where appropriate, demonstrated commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in contracting with diverse partners
• A thorough and complete budget, including a budget summary

Allowable Expenses for Planning Grants

• Salaries and fringe, stipends, incentives, food, contracted services, supplies, printing/postage, conferences/meetings, communication expenses (i.e., telephone, technology)
• Program overhead capped at 13%

Geographic Requirements

 Organizations that serve the HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital service area: Ashburnham, Ashby, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Harvard, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Princeton, Sterling, Townsend, and Westminster.  Priority will be given to projects that serve communities with higher Social Vulnerability Index (CDC/ATSDR SVI).

Background

Since 2020, HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital has been distributing $2,350,000 in community benefits through the Determination of Needs (DoN) funding from our emergency department capital project. These funds represent 5% of the total cost of the ED renovation as approved by the Department of Public Health January 17, 2017.  Funding from the DoN funds will support PPI Planning grants as directed by HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital’s Community Benefits Advisory Committee.  

HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital is committed to keeping and supporting the provision of care in the community. In addition to the DoN funding, UMass Memorial Health is investing more than $600,000 in Women’s Health Investment Initiative funding to help address residents’ prenatal and postnatal needs. 

To help identify priorities for these investments, HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital contracted with Health Resources in Action (HRiA) to conduct a community needs assessment focused on understanding the needs of women and birthing people, including prenatal and postnatal needs, and infants in HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital’s service area. Assessment findings were presented at a Community Prioritization Meeting and participants voted on priorities. A Community Prioritization Survey was shared to gather feedback on priorities. The priority areas identified through this process to guide the development of the Request for Proposal (RFP) are:

• Transportation
• Mental health and social support
• Childcare availability 
• Basic family needs
• Affordable housing

HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital aims to coordinate resources to address the needs of birthing people and infants in our region while aligning with the Massachusetts Department of Health's efforts to increase maternal health access. Therefore, planning proposals that also align with goals of DPH’s recent request for Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s recent RFP “Grants to increase Maternal Care Access and Expand Delivery Models” proposals published on May 1, 2024 will also be considered. The focus areas of this funding are:

• Improving access, infrastructure and capacity (non-construction related) and workforce 
• Projects promoting racial equity and reproductive justice through policy, systems and environmental approaches that support the fair and just distribution of prenatal, postnatal and infant related resources and opportunities

Focus Areas

Applicants need to address one or more of the focus areas below:

Priority Populations

The priority populations for this RFP are at-risk populations, such as low-income individuals; Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); disabled individuals; individuals with substance use disorders; LGBTQIA+ individuals; and others, including adolescents.

Objective

The goal of successful proposals is to improve care outcomes for mothers, birthing people, and infants. During the project period, the planning grant should result in a clear, comprehensive action plan. This plan will outline how your program's resources, activities, and outcomes connect, and it should include a logic model (templates and guidance will be provided—see "Evaluation and Reporting" below for details). The plan must prioritize health equity, be developed through community engagement and partnerships, and specifically address the root causes of challenges identified in the needs assessment. Whenever possible, the plan should be supported by strong evidence to ensure it can be successfully implemented.

Required Components for Planning Grant Activities

Since the funding priority is prenatal, postnatal, and infant care, this section outlines the key elements needed for the planning process. Your response should clearly define leadership roles, partner and participant commitments, timelines, guiding questions, and the community resources you'll use, like meeting spaces, social media, and reporting tools. It should also explain how you'll engage experts for data analysis and explore effective strategies to improve outcomes in maternal and infant care. This approach ensures a strategic plan that drives meaningful improvements in maternal and infant health within the service area.

Evaluation and Reporting

is working with an external evaluator, Health Resources in Action (HRiA), to help with evaluation planning and reporting. Grantees' core staff must participate in two technical assistance calls with HRiA:

• The first call, within the first month of the grant, will focus on introductions and finalizing a reporting template.
• The second call, around month four, will introduce a logic model template and discuss how to complete it. Templates for both programmatic and policy work will be provided. HRiA will also review a draft of the logic model.

At the end of the planning grant period, grantees must:

• Submit a brief final report (2-3 pages) using a provided template, covering progress, successes, challenges, and community and partner engagement.
• To be considered for implementation funding, grantees must also submit a comprehensive action plan, a detailed budget, and a logic model.

FAQs

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Contact:

Email: HA_ContactUs@healthalliance.com