Advancing Healthy Births SWMPQIC Grant Opportunity

Advancing Healthy Births SWMPQIC Grant Opportunity is sponsored by Southwest Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (SWMPQIC) (funding received through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services). Supports community-led efforts in improving disparate birth outcomes and ensuring healthy births in Region 8 (Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren counties).

2025 SWMPQIC Grantees | SWMPQIC- Region 8 “Advancing Healthy Births” SWMPQIC Grant Opportunity SWMPQIC awarded 7 mini grants in the amount of $50,000 each to support community-led efforts in improving disparate birth outcomes and ensuring healthy births in Region 8 (Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, and Van Buren counties).

Through a request for proposal process, one-time funding received through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, was available to local organizations and programs in Region 8 to support community-led efforts in improving disparate birthing outcomes and ensuring healthy births.

To be eligible to receive a mini-award, applicants met the following eligibility criteria: Be based within Region 8 (Branch, Berrien, Cass, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren Counties) and/or serve residents of Region 8. Currently serving underserved populations or populations affected by disparate birth outcomes, as shown in available data.

Represent a non-profit organization, local tribal organization, community-based organization, LLC, or local/county level agency. Commit to spending the full award amount by September 30, 2025. Members and associated agencies of the Proposal Review Committee were not eligible for funding.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ HOPE Parent Resource Center Project Name: “The Expecting and Empowered Traveling Support Project” Counties Served: Van Buren and Cass The Expecting and Empowered Traveling Support Project will provide pregnant and postpartum families with educational events, resources and material support within their community.

Our initiative will focus on topics such as maintaining health during pregnancy and postpartum, recognizing urgent maternal warning signs, the role of doulas, lactation support, child development, safe sleep practices, car seat safety, infant CPR, and community resources. Additionally, a select number of low income families who are not Medicaid eligible will receive Doula services.

Branch County Great Start Collaborative Project Name: Advancing Birth Equity Stay tuned! Project description not yet available.

Project Name: “ Empowering Expectant and New Burmese Moms: A Pathway to Health and Wellness” “Empowering Expectant and New Burmese Moms: A Path to Health and Wellness” will provide postpartum support to Burmese mothers in Battle Creek and Springfield through home visits, a mom support group, and educational workshops on mental health, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia.

Led by trained Burmese community members, this initiative will offer culturally relevant education, resources, recorded training sessions, and participant incentives to support maternal health and well-being.

Corewell Health ABEST Taskforce Counties Served: Primarily Berrien The project offers free, accessible childbirth education classes for Black and Brown birthing families that now incorporate a robust nutritional component to support prenatal and postpartum health. These classes cover essential topics such as labor, delivery, breastfeeding, and nutrition, empowering families with the knowledge they need to improve health outcomes.

The initiative aims to reduce disparities in maternal and infant health—addressing issues like high infant mortality rates and low breastfeeding initiation—by providing targeted, culturally responsive education. By partnering with community agencies that provide additional resources such as transportation assistance and childcare, the program creates a comprehensive support network designed to improve maternal and child health.

YWCA Kalamazoo-WISH Program Project Name : YWCA Kalamazoo’s Women and Infant Supportive Health Counties Served : Kalamazoo County Stay tuned! Project description not yet available.

Community Healing Centers Project Name: CHC Women’s Specialty and Infant Mental Health Services Counties Served: Kalamazoo County With this generous award, Community Healing Centers will increase collaboration among our Women’s Specialty Services and our Infant Mental Health services.

Efforts will include increased outreach and education, support of harm reduction in pregnant people with SUD, improving breastfeeding rates in the region, providing infant safe sleep education and supplies to vulnerable populations, and assuring care coordination and access to supportive services in prenatal and postpartum periods for mothers and infants.

Project Name: “Milk Like Mine, Rootead, and Growing Forward Together bringing Survivor Moms’ Companion to Region 8” Counties Served: All of Region 8 This grant supports the implementation of the Survivor Moms’ Companion (SMC) program in Region 8, in partnership with Milk Like Mine, Rootead, and Growing Forward Together, to address the impact of childhood maltreatment trauma and adverse childhood experiences on perinatal health.

The project will train 20 doulas as SMC tutors, equipping them to provide trauma-informed psychoeducation to pregnant and postpartum individuals, while also establishing a Community of Practice to support new tutors and to network. We also will provide SMC Referral Workshops where perinatal providers get a quick in-service on what SMC is and how to refer their patients to SMC tutors.

By strengthening collaboration between doulas, healthcare providers, and mental health professionals, this initiative aims to reduce disparities in perinatal care and improve outcomes for birthing people affected by intergenerational trauma. Stay tuned here for updates on these projects throughout the year!