The Patchwork Collective, Lever for Change, and ICONIQ Impact have announced the recipients of $12 million in grants for efforts to reduce maternal and infant mortality.

Launched in 2022, the Maternal & Infant Health Award competition is designed to aid innovative, community-led organizations in providing women with access to safe, equitable, and quality maternal health care, with the goal of reducing maternal and infant mortality worldwide. Lwala Community Alliance, in partnership with Dandelion Africa, was selected by the Patchwork Collective as the recipient of the award’s lead $9 million grant for its work scaling community-led health in rural Kenya.

Upon reviewing the proposals, the Patchwork Collective extended two $1 million awards to Babies and Mothers Alive Foundation (BAMA) and Maya Health Alliance | Wuqu’ Kawoq, boosting the award total from $10 million to $12 million. Each of the five finalist organizations received a one-time $200,000 planning grant, which provided capacity-building support and compensation for the time and resources required to develop their proposals.

“The Patchwork Collective is overjoyed to provide funding to each of these organizations, all of which are working tirelessly to reach women in remote regions with health care that’s effective and culturally resonant,” said Patchwork Collective co-founder Marie Dageville. “No family should suffer the loss of a mother or child, yet tragically most maternal and infant deaths stem from a detectable and treatable complication. If this award helps ensure the survival of even one woman or child, it will be worth it.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Golero)