Today, we are delighted to celebrate the three awardees of the Maternal & Infant Health Award, an initiative we launched last year in partnership with The Patchwork Collective and ICONIQ Impact (ICONIQ Capital’s platform for collaborative philanthropy). The award was designed to aid innovative, community-led organizations in providing women with access to safe, equitable, and quality maternal healthcare, with the goal of reducing maternal and infant mortality worldwide.
The three teams announced today exemplify the kinds of bold solutions we champion at Lever for Change. Each of the awardees has placed collaboration and community involvement at its core, values that are essential to all our challenges. These organizations are working tirelessly to reach women in remote regions with healthcare that's effective and culturally resonant. We’re honored to support these visionary organizations in their work. They embody the spirit of collective action, demonstrating that, by connecting communities, bridging cultures, and leveraging technology, we can reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and improve the lives of countless families.
Lwala Community Alliance, in partnership with Dandelion Africa, was selected by The Patchwork Collective as the recipient of the award’s lead $9 million grant for their work scaling community-led health in rural Kenya. However, upon reviewing the finalists’ proposals, The Patchwork Collective was so impressed by the quality and promise of two additional submissions, that they have chosen to award the Babies and Mothers Alive Foundation (BAMA) and Maya Health Alliance | Wuqu’ Kawoq each with a $1 million grant, bringing the award’s total from $10 million to $12 million (including planning grants previously received by the five finalists).
These awards wouldn’t be possible with the generosity of funders like The Patchwork Collective, partners like ICONIQ Impact, evaluators who provide time and expertise, as well as the organizations who answer our challenges with big, bold ideas. Together, we can build a philanthropic sector that is as revolutionary as the transformation we seek to achieve in the world.
At Lever for Change, we’re intentional about shifting the balance of power: our challenges are open and transparent because we want the best ideas out there. We create intentionally designed competitions for grants, which put everyone on equal footing to apply, regardless of their connections, funding needs, or star power.
Our mission is to find funding for as many bold solutions in our network as possible. We actively promote equity by supporting not just the awardees, but also finalists and other highly ranked teams we’ve identified. So far, the sponsors of our challenges have committed a total of $736 million to 28 outstanding organizations, and we’ve facilitated another $935 million in follow-on funding to 129 teams.
The finalists of the Maternal & Infant Health Award now join our Bold Solutions Network, a public and inclusive network of rigorously vetted, peer-reviewed projects, each of which has been through our due-diligence process. The network includes more than 100 inspiring proposals from organizations with big ideas that are poised to achieve transformative change in more than 80 countries.
We’re seeking funding for every one of these teams, because we know they have the power to change the world. if you would join the effort to reduce maternal and infant mortality worldwide, contact Dana Rice, our Vice President, Philanthropy.
