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Each year, local March of Dimes chapters award grants to external organizations across the state in order to address unmet maternal and infant health needs. These community grants are one way that the March of Dimes pursues its mission of giving every baby a healthy start at life by preventing premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality.		  
About the Chapter Community Grants Program
Funding for organizations is provided through the grants process.  In order to receive funding, organizations must complete an extensive proposal describing their organization and how it relates to maternal and child health programs.  The program services committee holds the responsibility of awarding grants each year.  The chapter community grants program is designed to invest in priority projects that further the March of Dimes mission, support national and state objectives, and further our strategic goal of reducing disparities in birth outcomes. Proposals will be accepted from organizations with the capacity, competence and experience to accomplish project goals and objectives through one of the following strategies:

  Increasing access to and quality of health care for women and infants
  Increasing availability of prevention services
  Increasing availability of genetics services and folic acid education

Projects interventions may be provider and/or consumer focused. Interventions must be provided within the local chapter's specified geographic area.

In order to be eligible to receive a March of Dimes chapter grant, an organization must be an incorporated not-for-profit 501(c)(3) or for profit organization or government agency. The March of Dimes does not award grants to individuals.

For more information about the chapter community grant program and how to apply, contact the Alabama Chapter Office of the March of Dimes at (205) 824-0103 or mail inquiries to March of Dimes, 450 Century Park South, Suite 200-B, Birmingham, AL 35226.

2009 ALABAMA CHAPTER MISSION INVESTMENT

University of South Alabama OB/GYN  -  $5,000
Women’s Imagining Conference
Professional education including genetic screening
& ultrasound’s role in preventing preterm birth.

Gift of Life Foundation  -  $17,230
Nurse-Family Partnership
A nurse home visiting program for first-time mothers.

Jefferson County Department of Health  -  $8,000
Peer Counselor Program
A peer-to-peer breastfeeding support program.

Cullman Regional Medical Center  -  $10,000
The “Better Babies” Program
A risk-reduction program for pregnant women and
new mothers.

St. Vincent’s Foundation  -  $3,000
NICU Parent and Family Support
Parent Care Kits for families with infants hospitalized
in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Parents and Children Together (PACT)  -  $15,000
Healthy Steps to Baby Steps (HSBS) Project
Enhanced prenatal care and support program including
interconception health behaviors and issues impacting
high-risk pregnant women.

UAB OB/GYN  -  $3,000
Annual Perinatal Conference
Professional education forum.

Walker Baptist Medical Center  -  $10,000
Walker County Prenatal Screening Clinic Tour
Prenatal screenings and education via a mobile medical
unit.

East Alabama Medical Center -  $7,270
Centering Pregnancy
Innovative group prenatal care initiative.

Brookwood Medical Center  -  $5,000
Women’s Comprehensive Care Update
Professional education forum.

UAB Women’s and Infants  -  $12,000
Each One Teach One: Back to Sleep
SIDS education campaign for new mothers.

COMMUNITY AWARDS

Alabama Partnership for Children  -  $500
Parent Leadership Training Teams
Conference workshop support.

Zeta Phi Beta  -  $500
Stork’s Nest Program
Enhanced prenatal care program.

Alpha Phi Alpha  -  $500
Project Alpha
Health education and mentoring for young men.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

UAB Medical Center—RNICU
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Family Support Project

Each year, approximately one in 10 newborns is
admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in
the United States. The hospitalization of a baby in a
NICU can be one of the most frightening, confusing
and overwhelming experiences for a parent. In its ongoing
efforts to improve the health of babies, the
March of Dimes NICU Family Support project was
developed and launched in 2001 in three model sites.
The program responds to the emotional and
informational needs of NICU families during the NICU
hospitalization, during the transition home and in the
event of a newborn’s death. The project also has as its
goal to contribute to NICU staff professional development,
and to promote a family-centered approach in
Level III NICUs.


The Alabama Chapter launched this project at UAB
Hospital in 2005. This project is in its fifth year and has
a total project budget of $350,000.

 



2010 Chapter Grants Application