Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) has awarded $455,000 to 12 North Texas nonprofits through its 2024 Health Grant opportunity. CFT’s Health Grant opportunity drives holistic care for people throughout their pregnancies, connecting parents to quality healthcare during the perinatal period, which encompasses the time from when one becomes pregnant to after birth.
According to the 2022 Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial Report and the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, in Texas, non-Hispanic Black women are more than twice as likely to die from childbirth compared to white women.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Texas also saw an 8% rise in infant deaths due to congenital anomalies and pre-term births in 2021.
Informal conversations with community-based organizations and health systems about these issues elicited a desire to expand funding and strengthen supports for pregnant and post-partum women.
Dimple Sureka, Community Philanthropy Officer at CFT, noted the significance of recent legislative changes: “Prior to March of this year, many women lost their healthcare coverage 60 days after giving birth. Now thanks to the new law HB12, women on Medicaid can have health coverage for a full year post-partum. Returning to work also brings challenges navigating breastfeeding, childcare, and inadequate sleep. New moms often don’t take time off from work because of financial consequences, and as a result, can’t focus on their own health.”
By investing in organizations supporting parents during the perinatal period, CFT hopes to help reduce pre-term births, maternal mortality, and severe morbidity – serious and life-threatening problems that can occur during labor and childbirth.
Funding support prioritized organizations that focus on advancing maternal health equity and justice by:
- Serving women of reproductive age facing barriers to high quality perinatal care and support, including low-income women and Black and Indigenous women.
- Incorporating holistic practices such as shared decision making, trust building, partnership, and family inclusive care.
- Having clear protocols and partnerships to ensure clients receive the appropriate level of care, when needed.
- Operating programs within Dallas County.
The 12 nonprofits that received funding are: Abide Women’s Health Services, Delighted to Doula Birth Services, HHM Health, Hope Cottage, In My Shoes, Jonathan’s Place, LBU Community, Nexus Recovery Center, Storks Nest Charity Fund of Dallas, TexProtects, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and Viola’s House.
All grants distributed were supported by the Phoebe & Russell H. Perry Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas.
Learn more about each of the nonprofits that received funding and what the grants will support below:
| Organization Name | Grant Amount | Primary Service Category | Designation |
| Abide Women’s Health Services | $25,000 | Prenatal, Postnatal | Abide Women’s Health Services redefines the landscape of maternal and infant healthcare by revolutionizing care for communities that have historically been neglected, ensuring that every individual receives holistic, accessible, and judgment-free healthcare.
Its suite of services, including affordable prenatal and postnatal care, childbirth education, doula support, ultrasounds, and lactation advice, directly responds to the gaps in our healthcare framework. |
| Delighted to Doula Birth Services | $50,000 | Postnatal, Critical Needs | Delighted to Doula provides services that cover the urgent six-week postpartum period up to one-year postpartum. Beyond addressing the leading causes of maternal mortality (heart disease, stroke, hypertension, infection, hemorrhage), postpartum doulas offer education and create space for moms and babies to bond.
Its Postpartum Wellness Center serves as a resource hub where moms can find nutrition, housing, and mental healthcare services. This multi-interventional approach to care addresses the issue of black maternal mortality.
|
| HHM Health | $25,000
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Prenatal, Postnatal | HHM Health’s Women’s Health providers offer a comprehensive range of obstetric and gynecological care tailored to each patient’s needs. Throughout their pregnancies, clients can access resources like primary care, women’s health, doula and midwifery services, and state-of-the-art sonograms to detect fetal abnormalities.
Clients also have access to additional, integrated medical care services including behavioral health, vision care, nutrition services, chronic illness management, pharmacy services, and oral health services that all assist in ensuring a healthy mom and baby. |
| Hope Cottage
|
$50,000
|
Prenatal, Postnatal, Critical Needs
|
Hope Cottage supports women from pregnancy to parenthood with medical services, educational resources, material assistance, referral to community partners, and birth advocate support if a birth parent chooses adoption.
Hope Cottage’s services address the holistic needs of pregnant and postpartum women, their families, and children. The Parenting Support Program (PSP) brings comprehensive services to communities where the rates of CPS involvement, maternal-fetal mortality, and adverse childhood outcomes are elevated. Hope Cottage’s CeCe’s Place, a high quality, low-cost Maternal Medical Clinic, serves the maternal health deserts of South and East Dallas. |
| In My Shoes | $50,000
|
Residential, Critical Needs
|
In My Shoes provides pregnant women experiencing homelessness a safe and supportive environment to care for themselves and their growing baby. In addition to providing food, housing and clothing, In My Shoes provides individualized support for the physical and mental health of moms and babies, through a variety of direct services and resources.
Women and their children transition out of the Residential program once the baby is 9 months old. In My Shoes works with mothers to find housing solutions that will continue to allow the infant and mother to thrive. |
| Jonathan’s Place | $50,000
|
Residential, Critical Needs | The Wesley Inn addresses youth homelessness, teen pregnancy, and poverty among Dallas County women and families. Its program provides up to two years of safe shelter and support for mothers (ages 14-20) and their children (0-5). The program provides pregnant and parenting youth with the resources, education, and life-skills training they need to grow into healthy, independent adults.
Through the program, young mothers can meet their family’s most basic needs, reclaim personal agency, build healthy habits, continue their education, develop a reliable source of income, and secure permanent housing. |
| LBU Community Clinic | $50,000 | Prenatal, Postnatal | In 2023, LBU Community Clinic’s (LBU’s) Obstetrics program served 2,882 patients with 1,705 babies delivered at either Parkland Health and Hospital System (Parkland) or Methodist Hospital of Dallas. No cost, walk-in pregnancy tests at all LBU locations are often a patient’s entry into obstetrics care.
Patients receive education about healthy pregnancy and can connect to LBU’s obstetrics program, pediatric services and social support services. The clinic employs various strategies including financial assistance, virtual visits, and insurance eligibility assessment to ensure patients access high-quality services. |
| Nexus Recovery Center | $50,000 | Residential, Critical Needs | The demand for Substance Use Disorder treatment and mental health services among pregnant and parenting women has risen significantly, with up to 11% of pregnant women aged 15 to 44 using substances.
Nexus addresses this gap through programs providing residential treatment, prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care, parenting education, and support services. Nexus collaborates with Parkland Hospital to offer comprehensive services, including medical care and transportation, with a focus on person-centered recovery plans and individualized treatment. |
| Storks Nest Charity Fund of Dallas | $5,000 | Prenatal Education, Postnatal | Stork’s Nest Charity Fund of Dallas (SNCFD), a partnership with the March of Dimes, offers prenatal education and incentives for at-risk families, while the Storks Nest Educational Program (SNEP) provides comprehensive sessions covering prenatal and postnatal care. SNCFD also addresses transportation barriers by providing vouchers for prenatal care appointments and educational seminars.
Partnering with Dallas College, SNCFD creates lactation rooms to support nursing mothers, aiming to improve access to education and job opportunities for women of color. Additionally, SNCFD raises awareness about premature births through community events and supports NICU centers with care packages. |
| TexProtects | $25,000 | Policy and Advocacy | TexProtects is part of the Texas Pre-Natal to Three (PN3) Collaborative, along with Children At Risk and Texans Care for Children, aiming to improve outcomes for children from birth to age three. TexProtects focuses on strengthening families through evidence-based strategies, particularly home visiting programs.
They advocate for policies supporting maternal health, early childhood education, and family support. TexProtects and Texans Care for Children will monitor the implementation of HB12, which extends postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months, particularly focusing on its impact on new mothers in Dallas, especially women of color. Through partnerships with home visiting programs, Nurse Family Partners and Dallas Ascent (formerly WiNGS), they plan to assess awareness of the new benefit and barriers to accessing care. |
| United Way of Metropolitan Dallas | $50,000 | Postnatal, Critical Needs | Flourishing Family is an evidence-based program addressing the critical needs of postpartum caregivers by providing home visits conducted by registered nurses and social workers. These visits include physical and mental health assessments, education on childcare, and referrals to essential services such as mental health support and housing assistance.
The program, a partnership between United Way, ChildCareGroup, and Metrocare Services, aims to eliminate barriers to health access and strengthen families. By delivering high-quality healthcare in the home, Flourishing Family reduces emergency room visits and improves mental health outcomes for new parents, ultimately contributing to community health and long-term infant well-being. Future plans involve expanding the program to reach more caregivers in need. |
| Violas House | $25,000 | Viola’s House provides support to teenage and young women facing unstable housing during pregnancy or early motherhood in Dallas County, where teen pregnancy rates are high. Its program addresses the intersecting challenges of youth, pregnancy, and homelessness by offering short-term housing and comprehensive services to expectant mothers.
Viola’s House empowers young mothers through individualized plans for success, mental health support, life skills classes, and access to prenatal and postnatal medical care. The program has served over 400 unwed teen mothers and babies since its inception and is expanding its services with the opening of a second residential home. |
