The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment will fund 43 new projects to improve community health, advance health research, and develop the state’s health workforce.
The grants of up to $250,000 were awarded through a competitive application process, with both community-based non-profit organizations and Medical College of Wisconsin faculty eligible for funding.
AHW awarded 24 grants totaling $5.9 million to community-based organizations throughout Wisconsin. Nine of the community-focused grants support projects with statewide reach, while 12 projects focus on urban centers and three are rooted in rural communities. In total, funded projects directly impact 20 Wisconsin counties. Community projects receiving AHW funding include initiatives dedicated to strengthening the state’s rural health workforce; increasing health literacy; improving access to mental health care; expanding care to marginalized populations; combating substance use disorders; and addressing growing childhood mental and behavioral health challenges.
Additionally, AHW is funding 19 research projects with grants totaling $4.7 million. Among the MCW faculty-led initiatives receiving AHW support are efforts to expand influenza vaccination; treat respiratory conditions in premature infants; prevent, detect, and treat HIV; increase advance care planning among low-income populations; develop new treatments for vision loss; address mid-life obesity; and improve the identification of and response to sex trafficking.
