Maternal and Child Health Policy Innovation Program | HRSA 24 037

Opportunity Information: Apply for HRSA 24 037

The Maternal and Child Health Policy Innovation Program (MCH PIP) is a federal funding opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designed to help cities, counties, and states move promising maternal and child health policy ideas into real-world action. The central goal is to improve health outcomes for maternal and child health populations while directly reducing the disparities that often shape who benefits from care, services, and healthy living conditions. Rather than funding direct clinical services, the program is built around strengthening policy development and implementation at the local and state level, with a strong emphasis on practical, hands-on technical assistance that helps decision-makers adopt and sustain effective approaches.

Under this opportunity, award recipients are expected to function as technical assistance providers for key policy stakeholders such as governors offices, state legislatures, state and local health officials, and other state and local leaders involved in shaping systems and regulations. The assistance is meant to help these stakeholders develop, refine, and implement policy initiatives that measurably improve maternal and child health outcomes and narrow inequities. A major feature of the program is the creation and facilitation of learning communities, which bring together government partners alongside community members and people with lived experience. This structure is intended to ensure that policy design is informed not only by data and expert guidance, but also by on-the-ground realities that families face when trying to access care, stay healthy during pregnancy, or raise healthy children.

In addition to convening learning communities, recipients will produce and share practical information products that support policymaking and implementation. Examples named in the notice include policy briefs, webinars, and legislation trackers, but the intent is broader: to translate evidence into usable tools that busy policymakers and agency teams can apply. The opportunity also encourages recipients to help partners navigate complex policy landscapes, identify models that have worked elsewhere, and track emerging developments that may affect maternal and child health outcomes.

A particularly encouraged focus area is policy work that addresses social determinants of health, meaning the conditions in which people live that strongly influence health long before anyone reaches a clinic or hospital. The announcement specifically highlights initiatives that improve access to quality affordable housing, healthy foods, and transportation. This signals that HRSA is looking for policy strategies that go upstream and tackle structural barriers that contribute to maternal morbidity, infant mortality, and persistent disparities across racial, geographic, and income groups.

The program also aligns with Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) priority topics. Recipients are expected to support technical assistance connected to issues such as maternal and infant mortality and readiness for obstetric emergencies, reflecting ongoing national concern about preventable deaths and complications surrounding pregnancy and birth. At the same time, the program is designed to be flexible enough to respond to emerging maternal and child health issues. The notice gives recent examples including congenital syphilis, environmental health threats, Medicaid redetermination, and vaccine promotion. This indicates that awardees should be prepared to help jurisdictions respond quickly to changing conditions, policy shifts, and new public health threats that can affect families.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant made through a cooperative agreement, which generally means substantial federal involvement in the work compared with a standard grant. The funding opportunity number is HRSA-24-037, and it is associated with CFDA number 93.110 (Health). HRSA anticipated making about five awards, with an award ceiling of $400,000. The original application closing date listed was July 10, 2024, and the opportunity record was created on April 26, 2024.

Eligibility is broad as long as the applicant is a US-based organization. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. In practical terms, HRSA is opening the door to a wide range of entities that can credibly deliver policy-focused technical assistance, convene multi-stakeholder learning communities, and produce high-quality resources that help governments implement evidence-informed maternal and child health policy solutions.

• The Health Resources and Services Administration in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Maternal and Child Health Policy Innovation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.110.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-26.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for HRSA 24 037

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