Building Community Solutions Fund - Maternal Health
The Building Community Solutions Fund – Maternal Health is by invitation only.
Announcing the Launch of HealthSpark Foundation’s New Fund
HealthSpark is proud to launch the Building Community Solutions Fund – Maternal Health as the next step in our commitment to improving maternal health. The fund’s focus is shaped by the research and recommendations of the Pennsylvania Maternal Health Strategic Action Plan and the Montgomery County Office of Public Health, as well as our history of funding maternal health-focused organizations and programs.
The Need to Focus on Maternal Health
Every day in Montgomery County, community organizations and leaders are working to address and improve social determinants of health and well-being through responsive services and programs, civic engagement, and improved public policies and systems. Through our strategic goals—Community Power, Leadership, and Solutions—HealthSpark Foundation aims to support transformative leaders, build thriving communities, and achieve improved health and well-being for all.
In March 2026, the Shapiro administration released a five-year strategy, “Healthy Moms, Vibrant Futures,” to improve health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women in Pennsylvania. The administration drew upon years of input from people with lived experience, care providers, community-based organizations, legislators, and other leaders. The resulting Pennsylvania Maternal Health Strategic Action Plan (Action Plan) affirms what HealthSpark has learned from its own grantmaking and from its local partners, including the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health, about the pressing need to invest in improving maternal health in Montgomery County. The Action Plan centers on five maternal health priorities:
- Behavioral health: Improving detection and treatment of behavioral health conditions, including mental health and substance use disorders
- Provider accessibility: Improving coordination and access to care in rural areas and maternity care deserts
- Care: Increasing access to high-quality care
- Social determinants of health: Integrating initiatives to address health-related social needs into health care
- Workforce: Expanding and diversifying the maternal health workforce
In addition, the Action Plan focuses on reducing inequities in prenatal care, postpartum care, and parenting supports. Similar to HealthSpark’s work and strategic plan, equity is a core tenet of the Action Plan, with intentional strategies to address disparities related to health access, care, and outcomes.
The State’s Action Plan reinforces local planning work conducted by the Montgomery County Office Public Health in its recent Community Health Assessment and the ongoing planning through the Community Health Improvement Plan. Results from this local planning process demonstrate a need for increased investment into access to prenatal care and mental and behavioral healthcare, and into decreasing disparities in parental and infant mortality among women and children of color.
HealthSpark Foundation’s Investment in Maternal Health
Investing in maternal health advances HealthSpark’s mission of achieving healthy, equitable, and hopeful communities throughout Montgomery County, and reflects our commitment to supporting community-identified solutions. HealthSpark will align our maternal health-focused grantmaking, convening, and leadership with priorities outlined in the Action Plan and the Montgomery County Office of Public Health plans to amplify our investments through collaborative grantmaking and learning. Specifically, HealthSpark’s framework for investing in maternal health in Montgomery County has three pillars:
- Increase access to prenatal care, particularly for women of color and Latina women.
- Improve access to behavioral and mental healthcare for pregnant and postpartum parents.
- Decrease disparities in infant and maternal mortality among women and children of color.
Through the fund, HealthSpark will support organizations that are using one or more of the following strategies to address one or more of the above pillars:
- Community-based research
- Policy change to address systemic barriers/challenges
- Services and program implementation
The Building Community Solutions Fund – Maternal Health is by invitation only. Our inaugural slate of awards will be announced in June 2026.
Eligibility Requirements
- Projects must serve Montgomery County residents; applicants must have a 501(c)(3), or have a fiscal intermediary/sponsorship relationship, or be a religious organization, or part of Montgomery County government.
- Organizations that are not Montgomery County-based (i.e., statewide or national organizations) should clearly demonstrate their connections and work to Montgomery County, the relationships with organizations in Montgomery County, and the connection to and understanding of Montgomery County residents and their needs. Grants awarded to these regional, statewide, or national groups will be in the form of a restricted grant to take place in Montgomery County, where work is centered.
About HealthSpark Foundation
HealthSpark Foundation is a private, independent foundation serving Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. We are guided by principles of courage, justice, integrity, and hope. We vision transformative leaders, thriving communities, and opportunity and justice for all, and our mission is to achieve healthy, equitable, and hopeful communities throughout Montgomery County. Learn more at www.healthspark.org.