The St. David's Foundation in Austin, Texas, has announced grants totaling more than $24.5 million in support of post-COVID rebuilding and recovery and efforts to address the health inequities highlighted by the pandemic.

As part of its grantmaking focus on resilient children, the foundation awarded sixteen grants totaling $11.9 million in support of efforts ranging from perinatal and infant-focused support to partnerships with rural school districts to increase parent involvement in their child's education. Recipients include the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, which was awarded $150,194 to help bring a health equity lens to ten community-based organizations seeking to apply emerging concepts of brain development to their work, and Mother's Milk Bank of Austin, which was awarded $140,000 to train women of color as doulas and lactation consultants. According to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first eight years of a child's life build a foundation for future health and life success, and stressors in early childhood can disrupt neurologic, metabolic, and immunologic systems, leading to poorer developmental outcomes.

Grants also were awarded in support of local healthcare infrastructure, including free and charitable clinics across central Texas, and efforts to create a culture of health in rural communities, including innovative solutions to support low-income adults with access to medical appointments. Awards also included twenty grants totaling $1.36 million that provided urgent funding to support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and recovery from the winter storm.

"The challenges of the last year have made clear the need to build a stronger early childhood ecosystem," said senior program officer Kim McPherson. "While the cumulative threats of the pandemic, economic disruptions, and deeply embedded racism and other structural inequities have imposed real hardships on families with young children, we have also witnessed a community response to these challenges that is nothing short of heroic. From childcare workers, teachers, and medical staff to community volunteers and neighbors, many have gone beyond their traditional roles and comfort zones to try and meet the demands of this unprecedented period. The work represented in these grants is a testament to that commitment — and a chance to harness some of the innovation born out of necessity as the building blocks for a better tomorrow."

For a complete list of spring grant recipients, see the St. David's Foundation website.