Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge: Research Capacity Building in Maternity Care Deserts

Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge: Research Capacity Building in Maternity Care Deserts is sponsored by National Institutes of Health. This challenge encourages nonprofit community-based organizations, advocacy organizations, and state or federally recognized tribes to develop research capabilities and infrastructure to pursue research projects in maternal health, particularly of maternal morbidity and mortalit…

Connecting the Community for Maternal Health | HeroX Connect with talented problem solvers Join our community and win prizes Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Join Connecting the Community for Maternal Health 2. 0 that launched August 2026: herox. com/CommunityMaternalHealth2.

0 This challenge is closed to new competitors Non-Profit & Social Impact This challenge is closed to new competitors Non-Profit & Social Impact This is a US-based competition open to non-academic 501(c)3 organizations. Please see the complete eligibility requirements here . On average, 700 people die each year of pregnancy-related causes in the United States.

The racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in these maternal deaths are stark. For example, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black women are two to three times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause compared to white women.

Identifying core risk factors and improving outcomes for under-represented groups of women - including African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latina - means engaging these communities in the research process to ensure their needs and expertise are captured.

As part of NIH’s Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone ( IMPROVE ) initiative, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is sponsoring this challenge to encourage and reward non-profit organizations that do not typically participate in the federal research granting process to develop research capabilities and pursue research projects in the area of maternal health.

The goal of this challenge is to help community-based or community-oriented 501(c)3 (non-profit) organizations develop the infrastructure and capabilities needed to pursue maternal health research in areas that specifically impact their communities.

These advocacy, local community, faith-based, and other similar groups will receive training and mentoring in writing research proposals and assistance in building the infrastructure required for research activities. There is a total prize purse of $3. 038M, and winning organizations will also receive non-monetary incentives such as training and mentoring.

One of the best ways to make sure that something represents all parts of a whole is to make sure that all those parts can provide input. The great disparity in maternal mortality and morbidity rates across different populations within the US is an indicator that disproportionately affected groups may not be fully represented in identifying and addressing key risk factors.

We want to encourage non-profit organizations to develop their own research efforts, so that they can produce data and research results that will help improve maternal health in their communities. Read on to learn more about why we are running this challenge and how your organization can benefit.

Even taking into account factors such as age, pre-existing health conditions, and lifestyle factors, there are still large differences in maternal mortality rates based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background.

Developing new treatments, prevention methods, and diagnostic capabilities to help reduce maternal mortality rates for those groups at greater risk will require engaging them in the research process, so that their needs are identified and addressed.

Community and advocacy organizations that work routinely with women who are African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or Hispanic/Latina regularly see and address core risk factors for these groups.

Although many of these organizations are on the frontlines of maternal health, they may not have the resources and infrastructure needed to support continuing research work, and this may limit their ability to apply for and receive federal research support. In 2020, NIH launched the Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone ( IMPROVE ) initiative.

The initiative supports research focused on reducing preventable causes of maternal deaths and improving health for women before, during, and after delivery. IMPROVE includes a special emphasis on health disparities and populations disproportionately affected by maternal death and pregnancy-related illness, such as those groups listed above, very young women and women of advanced maternal age, and people with disabilities.

NIH recognizes the need to engage and partner with groups that serve these women to understand their priorities and concerns and to conduct research in a culturally informed and sensitive manner. The goal of this challenge is to address some of the barriers faced by community and advocacy organizations in conducting maternal health research.

If you participate in this multi-phase challenge, your organization will have the opportunity to learn about building and sustaining research infrastructure and capacity and ultimately to conduct your own research project. We will offer workshops and training sessions on topics such as how to write a proposal, how to stand up your research effort, how to report your research results, and more.

This challenge is open to all 501(c)3 organizations that are not institutions of higher learning. Examples of eligible organizations include: advocacy, local community, faith-based, and other similar groups. Additionally, you must have a primary place of business in the United States.

Your organization may choose to partner with other groups, but the lead organization submitting to this challenge must be non-academic, non-profit, and not a primary recipient of NIH funding (e.g., you may be a partner organization on a grant award or contract but your organization is not the primary recipient). You may add or change partners as you move through the different phases of the challenge.

Gathering Phase: Recruitment and Training Activity Recruitment The goal of the Gathering Phase is to identify and connect with eligible organizations, to inform them about the challenge, and to introduce NICHD and NIH’s IMPROVE initiative . This first phase is composed of two parts: Recruitment and Training Activity. The Recruitment part is open to all interested organizations and occurs during the first half of the Gathering Phase.

Three webinars during this period to introduce the challenge sponsors at NICHD, to provide general guidance on proposal submission, and to share the opportunities that participation in this challenge will provide. There will be question and answer sessions at the end of every webinar.

The webinars will be hosted by FedTech, under a contract agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on behalf of NIH to provide services in support of this challenge. Training Activity To participate further in the challenge, interested groups will need to complete an application form for admission to the Training Activity part of the Gathering Phase.

Up to 50 eligible organizations will be accepted into the Training Activity, and acceptance will be based on the criteria shown in the Judging Criteria section below. We recognize that many organizations may be unfamiliar with the process of working with NIH and with developing and articulating their research ideas, and this Training Activity is intended to help bridge this gap.

The goal of the Training Activity is to provide training and support to all participating organizations to help them create a complete and competitive submission. These brief, one-page submissions will serve as an introduction to the submitting organization and their research idea. Research ideas must be relevant to maternal health in general and specifically aligned with the objectives of the IMPROVE initiative .

Up to 15 organizations will be selected to advance to the Proposal Phase of the challenge. Each advancing organization will receive a $10,000 award. The Training Activity will take place during the last half of the Gathering Phase.

During this time, FedTech’s regular workshops will provide deeper and more customized support on a range of related topics, including problem mapping, resource management, and project planning. They will share case studies and will provide feedback on one draft of each organization’s submissions to the Gathering Phase. Only groups participating in the Training Activity can submit a proposal to advance to the next phase of the Challenge.

In this phase, each of the 15 participating organizations will work to develop a comprehensive research proposal over the course of 10 weeks. Each organization will be custom-matched with a FedTech mentor, and there will be regular workshops and webinars on relevant topics.

Interactions with mentors and one another will help each organization develop a fully realized research proposal that is well-aligned with the objectives of the IMPROVE initiative . For many non-profit organizations with limited resources, this kind of sustained effort is extremely difficult to undertake. The $10,000 Gathering Phase awards may be used to help bridge some of that gap.

Up to 10 organizations will be selected to advance to the Research Phase, and each group will receive a $150,000 award that could be used to stand up their research infrastructures and pursue their proposed research activities. In this final phase, the organizations selected to advance from the Proposal Phase will have approximately a year to implement their project plans, conduct the proposed research, and report results.

During this phase, each organization will continue to meet regularly with their respective FedTech mentors for specific advice and guidance, and all finalists will also be invited to participate in workshops and webinars to hear from different subject matter experts on topics related to maternal health and more broadly towards sustaining their research activities.

At the end of this phase, each organization will submit a report that summarizes their activities, research findings, and conclusions. This report will also include a project plan outlining potential next steps resulting from the initial findings and a proposed supporting budget.

Organizations who are judged to have met the minimum performance requirements and satisfactorily provided the required information in their final research report will be eligible to receive one of up to eight Third Place prizes of $100,000 each.

Those organizations who are judged to have exceeded the minimum performance requirements and demonstrated successful completion of their proposed research projects will be considered for a larger First Place prize of $300,000 and a Second Place prize of $200,000.

Any prize purse funds that remain un-awarded following the completion of the Research Phase may be added to each of the prize amounts awarded to the winners of the Research Phase. The First Place, Second Place, and up to eight Third Place prizes will be awarded based on the judging criteria shown in the Judging Criteria section below.

Challenge Structure and Overview Phase Activities and Descriptions Opportunities Gathering: Recruitment Eligible groups submit an application to join the optional Training Activity Informational workshops and webinars Gathering: Training Activity Up to 50 organizations will be invited 4-5 weeks of structured interactions with FedTech to help groups develop a cogent 1-page research proposal summary Extra workshops and webinars Review of a draft 1 pager Up to 15 advancing groups each receive a $10,000 award Up to 15 organizations will be invited 10 weeks of customized, one-on-one support, with dedicated mentors to help groups develop comprehensive research proposals Submit a comprehensive research proposal for potential advancement to the Research phase Regular workshops and webinars Get specifically matched with mentors Office hours with mentors Up to 10 advancing groups each win $150,000 Up to 10 organizations will be invited 52 weeks for groups to build their research infrastructure and conduct their research Submit a final report that summarizes their activities and research findings and also provides a roadmap for next steps Regular workshops and webinars Access to resources each group may need Continued regular office hours with mentors Winning groups will share in a prize pool that is approximately $1.

3M Phase # of Participants # of Awards Award Amounts Gathering Unlimited Up to 15 $10,000 Proposal Up to 15 Up to 10 $150,000 Research Up to 10 Up to 10 winners share $1. 388M* $1,388,000 *Amounts will be awarded based on performance during the research phase and will range between a 1 st Place prize of $300,000, a 2 nd Place prize of $200,000, and up to eight 3 rd Place prizes of $100,000.

Prize amounts may increase if there are prize purse dollars that were not awarded during previous phases of this Challenge.

Training Activity application deadline Training application evaluation period September 29 - October 12, 2022 (2 weeks) October 13 - November 17, 2022 (5 weeks) Gathering submission deadline November 17, 2022 (11 weeks) Gathering evaluation period November 17, 2022 - January 19, 2023 (9 weeks) Gathering winners announced Proposal submission deadline Proposal evaluation period April 6 - June 15, 2023 (10 weeks) Proposal winners announced Research submission deadline Research evaluation period June 20 - August 29, 2024 (10 weeks) Audience Topic Date Type Everyone Exploring and Understanding the NIH, NICHD, Research Goals and Breaking Down the Challenge Design Sept 8, 2022 Webinar Everyone Deep Dive into Challenge Criteria and Submission Guidance,and Example Sept 15, 2022 Webinar Everyone (De)Constructing an NIH Research Proposal | Leveraging Organizational Expertise/Background Sept 22, 2022 Webinar Training Activity Participants How to Start a Research Project: Literature Reviews, ProblemMapping and Hypothesis Formation Oct 13, 2022 Webinar and Workshop Training Activity Participants Maximizing Research Capacity with Limited Resources/Creating an Achievable Project Plan Oct 27, 2022 Webinar and Workshop Training Activity Participants Case Study + Draft Review Workshop Nov 3, 2022 Webinar and Workshop Training Activity Participants Collecting Community Feedback Dec 7, 2022 Workshop Training Activity Evaluation Criteria Section Description Weight Eligibility This organization meets Challenge Eligibility Criteria Y/N Organization The organization is likely to use the learning acquired from this challenge and the FedTech support to help them be successful in future endeavors.

65% Motivation The organization’s potential to continue this work or other similar efforts as a result of this experience. They have some experience in running projects or initiatives.

25% Research idea The research project proposed is: Relevant to maternal health Feasible to accomplish or make meaningful progress on within the Phase 3 timeframe Will contribute to narrowing the gap in maternal mortality and morbidity rates Training Activity Application Section Description Eligibility confirmation My organization is a non-academic 501(c)3 organization Desired Cohort Goals Please provide 1-2 sentences of response to each bullet below: What would you like to get out of participating in this challenge?

What kinds of support would you like to see as you progress through the challenge? What specific content would be most helpful to you in upcoming webinars? Organization Information Please provide 1-2 sentences of response to each bullet below: Size of your organization Staffing: roles and expertise (for example, we have one administrator and two general staff with expertise in social work and midwifery.)

Organization description Briefly describe your organization, including: The objectives of your organization Your research experience(s) Motivation Concisely explain why you are participating in this challenge and what you hope to achieve as a result. Research idea Give a high level description of what your research idea is and how it is relevant to maternal health.

Section Description Weight Organization The organization is likely to use the learning acquired from this challenge and the FedTech support to help them be successful in future endeavors. They have some relevant experience in running projects or initiatives, and their mission is aligned with the challenge’s goal of reducing the gap between the overall US maternal mortality and morbidity rate and that of under-represented women.

40% Motivation The organization is likely to continue this work or other similar efforts as a result of this experience. 20% Research idea The research project proposed is: Relevant to maternal health and aligned with the IMPROVE initiative objectives Will contribute to narrowing the gap in maternal morbidity, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal mortality rates in targeted populations.

Feasible to accomplish or make meaningful progress on within the Phase 3 timeframe Section Description Eligibility confirmation My organization is a US-based, non-academic, 501(c)3 organization Organization description Briefly describe your organization: Name(s) of the lead personnel for this project Motivation Concisely explain why you are participating in this challenge and what you hope to achieve as a result.

Research idea Give a high-level description of what your research idea is and how it is relevant to maternal health. Section Description Weight Research plan The research plan being proposed is novel, feasible, and relevant. It is presented in a manner that is clear, concise, and compelling.

20% Research background and rationale The proposed research is well-described, the rationale is supported with evidence or sound reasoning, the motivation is compelling, and the research context is understood. 20% Activities The proposed research activities are feasible, well-thought out, and aligned with the presented timeline, budget, and resource sections.

10% Outcomes and impact The likely outcomes and possible impact of this work may address the disparity in maternal mortality and morbidity rates and is aligned with IMPROVE objectives. 10% Risks and blockers Key risks and potential blockers that could impact the execution of the proposed research are identified and mitigation strategies are provided.

Expertise and resources The proposal demonstrates a clear understanding of the resources needed to successfully execute the proposed research. A plan is provided for how the team plans to acquire all needed assets. 10% Timeline The proposed timeline is realistic and fits within the Research Phase period.

10% Budget The proposed budget is realistic and well-aligned with the expertise and resource section. 10% Overview Briefly describe your proposed research and your planned activities.

Research background and rationale Please provide a detailed description of your proposed research, including: The rationale for your proposed approach Why you want to conduct this research What has been done in this area already What are the gaps that need to be filled Activities Please discuss the specific activities you plan to undertake during the Research Phase.

Relevance Please discuss how your proposed research is aligned with IMPROVE objectives. Outcomes and impact Please discuss the possible outcomes and anticipated impact of this work, including: What do you expect to learn as a result of this research? Who will benefit from this work?

How is this important to maternal health? Risks and blockers Please identify the key risks and potential blockers to your research plan. For each risk or blocker identified, provide a mitigation strategy.

Expertise and resources Please describe the expertise and resources needed to successfully execute your proposed research. Identify gaps. Additionally, describe how you will acquire these assets and fill gaps: Bibliography and references Provide a list of cited references Project plan Timeline Please provide a timeline for how the Research Phase period will be allocated.

The timeline should be accompanied by a list of milestones and activities that lead to each milestone. Budget Please provide a budget to support your proposed research. This budget should be aligned with the things you mention in the expertise and resources section below.

Supporting Files Upload any supporting files, such as diagrams, schematics, reports, etc. Minimum Performance Requirements All organizations participating in the Research Phase may be eligible to win a final award if they meet or exceed the minimum performance requirements.

To be eligible for any monetary award at the end of this phase, participating organizations must submit a final report that receives a minimum score of 65%, as determined by the judging criteria listed below. Section Description Weight Methodology and Analysis The methods used to conduct the proposed research are a good fit for the research hypothesis. The research is performed in a rigorous and reproducible manner.

The analysis performed is aligned with the research hypothesis and the type of data acquired, and areas of concern are identified. 25% Results The results acquired are meaningful, and the amount of data collected is sufficient for the analyses performed. 15% Conclusions The conclusions drawn are sound.

The likely outcomes and possible impact of this work may address the disparity in maternal mortality and morbidity rates and is aligned with IMPROVE objectives. 10% Activities The proposed project plan was successfully executed, or was modified to adapt to circumstances and then successfully executed. Good use was made of available resources (including time, money, personnel, equipment, and expertise).

25% Lessons learned As a result of the lessons learned the organization likely to Maintain and improve their research activities Be well-equipped to pursue future research opportunities Next steps The proposed next steps are realistic and feasible. There is a clear path forward. 10% Section Prompt Overview and Executive Summary Provide an overview of proposed research and your resultant activities during the Research Phase.

This content should be able to stand alone as a summary of your efforts, meaning that someone new to this project could read this section and have a top level understanding of what you did and why you did it. It should include your research hypothesis, methodology, and conclusions. Science Methodology and Analysis Restate your research hypothesis and discuss why your methodology is aligned with it.

What methods did you use for data collection and how did you acquire your data? Be specific in describing what you did. Describe your data, including summary demographic information if appropriate.

How did you analyze your data? Results Discuss the results of your research efforts. What did the analysis show?

Presentation of aggregated data for discussion purposes is permitted. Do not share any raw data. Conclusions What conclusions do you draw and how do they influence your thinking in the area of maternal health?

How will these conclusions impact the disparity in maternal mortality and morbidity rates? Infra- Activities Discuss the activities that occurred during this phase, including but not limited to: Provide an overview of your activities to build your research infrastructure. If you modified your project plan, what did you do differently and why?

Were there any unexpected occurrences? If so, how did you deal with them and what were the impacts (if any)? Discuss your learning from this research effort, including but not limited to: What would you do differently?

How will this experience inform your future work? Next Steps Based on your experiences and the conclusions you’ve drawn, what are your next steps (or what could your next steps be if you were going to continue the effort)? How do/would you anticipate funding and staffing it?

This does not need to be a full proposal, but it should address: What you plan to do and why A preliminary project plan Pitch deck Upload a pitch deck (10 slides max) that presents: A summary of your research activities Upload any supporting files, such as diagrams, schematics, reports, etc. Participation Eligibility: To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, a Participant Organization: Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge under the rules promulgated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as published in this announcement; Shall have complied with all the requirements set forth in this announcement; Shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States; Shall be a registered tax-exempt organization and meet the criteria as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; Shall not be an institution of higher learning as defined at 38 USC § 3452(f); Shall not, at the time of submission, be listed as the primary awardee on an active grant, cooperative agreement, or contract award issued by the National Institutes of Health; Shall not be a federal entity or federal employee acting within the scope of their employment; Shall not be an employee of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS, or any other component of HHS) acting in their personal capacity; Who is employed by a federal agency or entity other than HHS (or any component of HHS), should consult with an agency ethics official to determine whether the federal ethics rules will limit or prohibit the acceptance of a prize under this Challenge; Shall not be a judge of the Challenge, or any other party involved with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the Challenge or the immediate family of such a party (i.e., spouse, parent, step-parent, child, or step-child).

In the case of any individuals participating on behalf of a Participant Organization, shall be 18 years of age or older at the time of submission. A Participant Organization may not use Federal funds from a grant award or cooperative agreement to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.

Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop their Challenge submissions or to fund efforts in support of their Challenge submissions.

By participating in this Challenge, each Participant Organization agrees to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from participation in this Challenge, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.

Based on the subject matter of the Challenge, the type of work that it will possibly require, as well as an analysis of the likelihood of any claims for death, bodily injury, property damage, or loss potentially resulting from Challenge participation, no Participant Organization participating in the Challenge is required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility in order to participate in this Challenge.

By participating in this Challenge, each Participant Organization agrees to indemnify the federal government against third party claims for damages arising from or related to Challenge activities.

A Participant Organization shall not be deemed ineligible because the Participant Organization used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during the Challenge if the facilities and employees are made available to all Participant Organizations participating in the Challenge on an equitable basis.

By participating in this Challenge, each Participant Organization grants to the NIH an irrevocable, paid-up, royalty-free nonexclusive worldwide license to reproduce, publish, post, link to, share, and display publicly the submission on the web or elsewhere, and a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice, or have practiced for or on its behalf, the solution throughout the world.

Each Participant Organization will retain all other intellectual property rights in their submissions, as applicable. To participate in the Challenge, each Participant Organization must warrant that there are no legal obstacles to providing the above-referenced nonexclusive licenses of the Participant Organization’s rights to the federal government.

To receive an award, Participant Organizations will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to NIH, but Participant Organizations must grant to the federal government the nonexclusive licenses recited herein. Each Participant Organization agrees to follow all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.

Each Participant Organization participating in this Challenge must comply with all terms and conditions of these rules, and participation in this Challenge constitutes each such Participant Organization’s full and unconditional agreement to abide by these rules. Winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements herein.

As a condition for winning a cash prize in this Challenge, each Participant Organization that has been selected as a winner must complete and submit all requested winner verification and payment documents to NIH within 15 business days of formal notification. Failure to return all required verification documents by the date specified in the notification may be a basis for disqualification of a cash prize winning submission.

By participating in the challenge, each competitor agrees to submit only their original idea. Any indication of "copying" amongst competitors is grounds for disqualification. All applications will go through a process of due diligence; any application found to be misrepresentative, plagiarized, or sharing an idea that is not their own will be automatically disqualified.

All ineligible applicants will be automatically removed from the competition with no recourse or reimbursement. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win the competition. Void wherever restricted or prohibited by law.

Aug. 20, 2026, 9:04 a. m.

PDT by Liz Treadwell The NIH Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge (CCMH 2. 0) is officially back! We are inviting community-based organizations and state or federally recognized Tribes to join this initiative aimed at expanding research capacity and driving local change in maternal health with special emphasis on maternity care deserts and, newly, research into fathers' role in maternal health outcomes.

This multi-phase challenge offers significant milestone-based funding to support your community’s mission from proposal development to project completion. You can also join one of our upcoming webinar sessions over the next few weeks to get more information. This is where you can get answers to any questions you may have directly from the NIH team.

You can register here . Announcing the Research Phase Winners of the NICHD Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge Sept. 5, 2024, 7:21 a.

m. PDT by Jamie Elliott We are delighted to share the winners announcement for the third and final Research Phase of the NICHD Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge. Head over to the Meet the Winners tab to read about the winners, and see the full announcement post.

Congratulations to all participating teams! Mark your calendars! The Research Showcase on July 11.

June 5, 2024, 12:10 a. m. PDT by Jamie Elliott 🚨 Save the date!

On July 11, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) will host a virtual research showcase for the Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge. Learn from community organizations that are conducting research to improve maternal health outcomes locally. Don’t miss out—register today!

https://bit. ly/4dx8UPs #MaternalHealthNICHD #NIH_IMPROVE Thank You for your Submissions Sept. 29, 2022, 2:01 p.

m. PDT by Lulu Just like that, it’s over! Thank you to all of you who sent in submissions.

We can’t wait to finally see what you’ve been working so hard on. Crowdsourcing would be nothing without the crowd — that’s you! Thank you for being an indispensable part of this process, and using your brainpower for the greater good.

Congratulations on completing your submission. This is not an easy process, and you deserve a pat on the back for your hard work and dedication. Thank you!

Sept. 29, 2022, 6 a. m.

PDT by Lulu It’s almost over! You have eight hours left to send in your Connecting the Community for Maternal Health submission. Be sure to get your submission in well before the deadline.

We don’t want you to have put all this work into your project, only to miss the deadline by a hair. Please send it in no later than September 29, 2022