2008-2009 Application Process Now Open - Apply Today!

Application Deadline: 5:00 p.m. (EST), Friday, October 17, 2008

The Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth was launched to support initiatives that provide credible, relevant and useful information about normal birth to birth professionals and the public. A key initiative of the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth is to support the development of grassroots, community-based Birth Networks. Since 2003, the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth has given numerous mini-grants to birth networks throughout the United States.

The Goals of the Birth Network Mini-Grant Initiative
The Birth Network Mini-Grant Initiative is designed to support the development or expansion of community-based networks that bring the public and birth professionals together to:

• promote the Six Care Practices that Support Normal Birth and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI)
• improve the quality of maternity care locally
• provide information and resources to expectant women and their families so that they can make informed choices about maternity care.

The Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth offers up to ten $500 to $1,000 grants annually to support established or emerging community-based Birth Networks in North America

Funding Priorities
This year, the Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth will give priority funding to projects that work toward improving public reporting and transparency in maternity care. See the fact sheet entitled, “Why Transparency in Maternity Care Matters” for more information about this topic.

Eligibility
Organization Eligibility

• The applying birth network should function as a nonprofit organization. (501(c)3 status is not required.)
• Community education and advocacy are key components of the birth network grants. While the organization may offer referrals to maternity care professionals, it should not function solely as a referral service.
• At this time, we are only accepting applications from birth networks serving communities in North America.

Project Eligibility
Birth Network grants will be made to support projects that:

• Educate the public about evidence-based maternity care consistent with the Six Care Practices that Support Normal Birth and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI).
• Assist consumers in identifying professionals, health care providers and facilities in the community that provide evidence-based care consistent with the Six Care Practices and the MFCI.
• Address local barriers to access to mother-friendly maternity care

Restrictions

• Mini-grant funds may not be used for 501(c)3 application fees, large speaker fees (small honorariums are fine) or administrative salaries.
• Mini-grant funds may not be used to promote fee-based perinatal services such as childbirth education classes or doula care. (Lamaze members are eligible to apply for Community-Based Outreach Grants which support childbirth education for underserved and vulnerable populations.)

Evaluation Criteria
Birth Network Mini-Grant Applications will be evaluated based on their strengths in these key areas:

• Relevance to the goals and priorities of the Birth Network Mini-Grant Initiative
• Quality of the project innovation, collaboration and value to the community
• Potential for sustainability following Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth mini-grant funding
• Realistic objectives and timeline
• Clear and effective evaluation measures
• Reasonable and justified budget

Resources
The following resources may be useful for potential applicants:

• Read about The Six Care Practices that Support Normal Birth.
• Learn more about The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative.
• Read Lamaze International's collection of Birth Network stories to learn from the successes and challenges of other Birth Networks, and gain inspiration from their ideas.
• Review the Grant Application Checklist before submitting your application. (This is part of a Fundraising Toolkit for Childbirth Advocates.)
• Learn about transparency in the fact sheet for birth advocates, “Why Transparency in Maternity Care Matters.”
• Find out about The Birth Survey Project, a transparency initiative of the Grassroots Advocates Committee of CIMS.

How to Apply
Applicants must complete the online grant application. Refer to the Grant Application Guidelines for information about how to complete the online grant application. Note: Applicants are encouraged to draft responses to the grant questions in a word processing document, which can serve as a source from which to cut and paste the respective responses into the online grant application. If you have questions about the application or experience technical difficulties, contact the Lamaze Administrative Office at info@lamaze.org or at 800-368-4404.

Deadline
5:00 p.m. (EST), Friday, October 17, 2008