II.AVAILABLEFUNDINGAND2017FUNDINGPRIORITYAREAS.pdfVIP

March of Dimes State Community Grants Program Request for Proposals (RFP) March of Dimes Colorado Nicole Wong, MA, PMP 1325 S. Colorado Blvd., Ste. B-308 Denver, CO 80222 (303) 305-1222 nwong@marchofdimes.org 2 I. MARCH OF DIMES COLORADO COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM Founded in 1938, the mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. We do this by funding research to understand the problem and discover answers, helping moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies, and supporting families and comforting them when their baby needs help to survive and thrive. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death worldwide. Even babies born just a few weeks too soon can face serious health challenges and are at risk of lifelong disabilities. In 2003, the March of Dimes launched the Prematurity Campaign to address the crisis and help families have healthy, full-term babies. The campaign funds research to find the causes of premature birth, and to identify and test promising interventions; educates health care providers and women about risk-reduction strategies; advocates to expand access to health care coverage to improve maternity care and infant health outcomes; provides information and emotional support to families affected by prematurity; and generates concern and action around the problem. As part of this effort, the Colorado Community Grants Program is designed to invest in priority projects that further the March of Dimes mission, support campaign objectives, and further our strategic goal of promoting equity in birth outcomes. II. AVAILABLE FUNDING AND 2017 FUNDING PRIORITY AREAS The community grants fund for 2017 is approximately $47,000.00. It is anticipated that three or more projects will be funded. Proposed projects must aim to improve access to or delivery of care or educa