In 2005, GCYF received a five-year grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to provide programming around maternal and child health (MCH) issues for grantmakers.

The goals of this project, entitled Practical Matters for Improving Understanding of Maternal and Child Health and Health Care Issues Project, are to:

1. Improve the understanding of maternal and child health and health care issues in the children, youth, and family sector of private philanthropy;

2. Build and strengthen synthesis, translation, and application of MCH science and evidence-based research and best practices into private philanthropic grantmaking for children, youth and families; and,

3. Build and strengthen public/private partnerships designed to enhance and promote collaborative knowledge transfer and application, and investments in MCH programming and policymaking.

GCYF weaves maternal and child health issues, resources, and speakers into many of our events and publications.  In 2006, GCYF published a compilation of issues and lessons learned from the field in the Fall 2006 issue of Insight, Systems Building & Change: Engaging Public Partners and Decision Makers to Improve Early Childhood Outcomes.  Learn more about this publication, and read a special pull-out section Understanding the opportunities, benefits, and realities of public and private partnerships, which describes the Washington State Early Childhood Comprehensive Systen's experience that brought together the state maternal and child health program, Colorado foundations, and other partners in a statewide effort to improve outcomes for children.

For more information on other related events and publications contact GCYF.