Request for Proposals: Improving Maternal Mental Health

The vision of the bi3 Fund is that all people in Greater Cincinnati have a fair and just opportunity to achieve their best health. Core to our focus on maternal and young child health is the belief that our community can be a place where every mother and young child has access to the care and resources they need to thrive, from pregnancy to early childhood. One of the barriers for mothers and young children to thrive is insufficient access to maternal mental health services, particularly for Black and Hispanic women. We have learned that focusing on reducing the largest disparities allows us to improve care for all and achieve the greatest change in health outcomes. Furthermore, improving maternal mental health not only helps moms, but has a positive impact on children, households, and communities.   

Nationwide, one in five mothers is impacted by a mental health condition – the most common complication of pregnancy and birth, affecting 800,000 families annually. Despite its prevalence, most (75%) go without that condition being addressed or treated, with Black and Hispanic women being significantly less likely to receive either a diagnosis or treatment. Research also indicates that Black and Hispanic women are less likely to receive follow-up or continued care after treatment initiation.   

What we see nationally is also reflected at the state and local levels. On the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health’s annual state report card, Ohio received a C- overall due to the lack of perinatal mental health providers and gaps in the implementation and reimbursement for maternal mental health screening. In the most recent report on pregnancy-related deaths, the Ohio Department of Health found that half of all pregnancy-related deaths from 2017-2018 were due to mental health conditions and injuries, with over 90% of those deemed to be preventable.   

There are several barriers that individuals and families face in accessing the needed and deserved care, including:  

• Feelings of shame, stigma, distrust and guilt.  

• Cost and/or lack of access to healthcare.  

• Social biases, racism and discrimination in the U.S. healthcare system.  

• Fear that child protective services or other agencies will become involved and remove children from care.  

• Racial, cultural or religious beliefs. 

• Policies, systems and funding structures such as lack of reimbursement, lack of culturally competent screening, disjointed social and healthcare services, and lack of comprehensive policy that supports families. 

bi3 is seeking grantee partners to improve maternal mental health, with an intentional focus on improvements for Black and Hispanic women. For the purposes of this grant, maternal mental health refers to the mental and emotional wellbeing of women during pregnancy and up to three years after birth. Through funding and partnership, bi3 seeks to amplify the conversation around maternal mental health and reduce barriers and increase access to appropriate, desired and culturally relevant models of maternal mental healthcare. We believe that by centering the communities who face some of the greatest barriers to maternal mental health, improvements will be experienced by all. 

Projects considered under this funding priority may seek to:  

• Explore new and innovative or sustain existing promising approaches to addressing maternal mental health, from education and screening to care delivery.   

• Increase access to culturally relevant and culturally competent care (clinical and non-clinical), comprised of people and strategies that center deep understanding of the unique histories, experiences, traditions and cultures of the communities they seek to support.   

• Support partnerships or collaboratives working to comprehensively address maternal mental health.  

• Advocate for/advance changes in policies, resources and practices with the goal of improving maternal mental health outcomes.  

• Shift community perceptions around maternal mental health, reducing stigma, centering the stories of community, and raising awareness.  

bi3 aims to engage with grantees as learning partners and is interested in supporting a variety of projects to improve maternal mental health outcomes, approaches and systems. 

Grants awarded under this RFP may be paid over one to three years and are expected to range from $150,000 – $500,000. We anticipate awarding 3-5 grants for a total of up to $2 million. Please note that these grant amounts are expected to encompass indirect costs as well as direct project costs.  

To be eligible to receive a bi3 grant under this RFP, organizations must: 

• Be a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization* 

• Be in and/or work within the bi3’s geographic focus area, which includes Hamilton, Butler, Clermont, and Warren Counties in Ohio OR address policy at a state-level, impacting our local community.  

• Respond to the specific funding priorities and populations outlined in the RFP.  

• Be working toward reducing health disparities. 

*Organizations that do not have nonprofit status may still seek funding through fiscal sponsorship. A fiscal sponsorship is a partnership between a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (the sponsoring organization) and a charitable project that does not have tax-exempt status (the executing organization). Fiscally sponsored projects will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Any group looking to leverage a fiscal sponsor should contact Jena Bradley at bi3 before starting the application to vet basic alignment. 

Ineligible Work/Uses of Funds:  

Ineligible organizations and activities include:  

• Individuals seeking grants and/or for-profit organizations.  

• Hospital systems other than our strategic partner TriHealth.  

• Colleges or universities without community partners and impact.  

• Organizations that publicly advocate for and/or provide access to abortion.  

• Activities intended to intervene in any election or support or oppose any political party or candidate for public office or engage in any lobbying not permitted by 501c3 regulations.  

bi3 generally does not fund:  

• One-time events  

• Capital grants (as a primary focus – project may include some capital if it supports implementation)  

• Organizations and work outside of bi3’s focus areas.  

• Organizations with less than one year of operating history.  

• Organizations currently running multi-year deficits. 

bi3 will follow a two-step, competitive application process that includes a Letter of Intent phase (May 8, 2025 due date) and a full proposal phase (July 14, 2025 due date, for invited applicants). For access to the Letter of Intent questions, click here. For access to the full proposal questions, click here.  

Important Notes: All Letters of Intent and full proposals must be submitted through our online grants system, Foundant. Only a limited number of applicants will be invited to the full proposal phase. Any invitation to submit a full proposal does not guarantee funding. We provide the full content on both phases for informational purposes only. Content (including questions and evaluation criteria) is subject to change.   

LETTERS OF INTENT AND PROPOSALS WILL BE EVALUATED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: 

Letters of Intent 

• Meets organizational eligibility requirements to be considered for funding (see above) and submitted requested LOI materials. 

• Strength of alignment to funding priority to directly address maternal mental health to improve health outcomes and/or reduce health disparities 

• Strength of alignment to identified focus populations and the extent to which the proposed work centers the selected focus population. 

• Clarity of project purpose, goals and potential impact 

• Application of a racial and health equity lens that explicitly considers race, ethnicity and the social drivers of health when analyzing issues, designing solutions and defining success. This lens helps build understanding of health disparities and examine the root causes of inequities in order to more successfully design approaches and solutions that build a healthier future for all. 

• Experience with or commitment to centering community voices and engaging people with lived experience in the work 

Detailed Proposal 

Beyond the evaluation criteria for Letters of Intent, full proposals will be evaluated for: 

• Experience or expertise in maternal health and/or mental health. 

• Experience and relationships in the Black and/or Hispanic community to support the purpose and goals of the project 

• Adequacy and appropriateness of budget and other resources, capacity to carry out the proposed scope of work. 

• Potential for the project to be supported/resourced after the proposed grant period.  

• Potential for the project to address one or more of the conditions of systems change, such as changing practices, policies, procedures, activities, power dynamics, and flow of resources. 

As an invested partner, bi3 will work to build trust and collaborate with grantees to monitor and refine project metrics, develop sustainability plans, address unexpected risks, and refresh performance plans based on interim results. bi3 will provide support, thought partnership and technical assistance to evaluate and communicate project results and learning. bi3 is committed to the success of our grantees and will leverage its partnership and resources beyond grant funding to achieve the greatest impact for our community. 

bi3 will host a virtual RFP Informational Workshop. All interested organizations are strongly encouraged to attend. The Informational Workshop will provide a brief overview of bi3’s application process, a deeper dive into the RFP and the opportunity to ask questions. A recording will be available on the bi3 website for those unable to attend the live session. 

April 7, 2025 at noon 

Virtual (Zoom)  

Registration is required.

To access bi3’s online grants management system: 

1. Go to https://www.grantinterface.com/Home/Logon?urlkey=bethesdainc Previous applicants can use their existing username and password to login. New applicants will select “Create New Account.” 
2. Once you log in or create an account you will be directed to the Applicant Dashboard. 
3. Click “Apply” at the top of the page, to view the Application Page. 
4. Select the FY25 Improving Maternal Mental Health. 
5. Click the “Apply” button on the far right to submit an LOI. 

Please contact Marian Black with any questions about accessing the grants management system. 

See our Frequently Asked Questions  

Content will be updated weekly.  

Contact Us  

For general questions and inquiries, please contact Jena Bradley, Director of Community Partnerships at Jena_Bradley@bi3.org or (513) 569-6633 

For questions about accessing the grants management system, please contact Marian Black, Grants Manager at Marian_Black@bi3.org  

Book Time During Office Hours 

Want dedicated time for a more in-depth conversation about this funding opportunity and/or your project idea? Book a 20-minute slot during our virtual office hours.  

• Office hours will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, April 2 – May 7, 2025.  

• When booking, enter your organization name in the “name” field.  

• Multiple members from a team can join a booked slot. A calendar invite will be sent out following the booking of a slot; simply forward that calendar invite to the appropriate team members.