#United States #Bethesda #Maternal Health #NIH #HeroX

NIH and HeroX Launch Challenge to Support Maternal Health Research

On August 18, 2026, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) introduced an initiative aimed at tackling the alarming issue of maternity care deserts in the United States. These areas are defined as counties lacking hospitals or birth centers providing obstetric care, a staggering situation for numerous communities across the nation. To facilitate community-driven solutions, the NIH has launched the Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge 2.0 (CCMH 2.0).

This challenge is engineered to bolster community-based organizations by enhancing their research capabilities, particularly in locations that deal with inadequate maternity care. The pressing need for such an initiative is underscored by the fact that over one-third of U.S. counties are classified as maternity care deserts, which can lead to dire consequences for expectant mothers and their families.

The CCMH 2.0 is managed by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and is supported by several cogenetic NIH bodies including the National Institute of Nursing Research and the Office of Research on Women's Health. This initiative is part of a broader program known as IMPROVE, which focuses on enhancing maternal health outcomes across underserved populations.

Challenge Overview

This challenge not only builds upon the foundation set by the inaugural Connecting the Community for Maternal Health Challenge, which was launched in 2022, but also aims to effectively reduce preventable maternal mortality causes and improve the health of women before, during, and after childbirth. The emphasis is placed on populations disproportionately affected by these health disparities.

Jamie Elliott, Vice President of Customer Success at HeroX, emphasized the importance of community empowerment in improving maternal health outcomes. He stated, "Improving maternal health starts with empowering the communities most affected. By providing training, mentoring, proposal development support, and milestone-based funding, NIH is creating avenues for community organizations to translate local insights into impactful maternal health research."

Phases of the Challenge

The challenge is structured into four key phases that guide participants from initial concept ideas through to research implementation:

1. Phase 1 - Recruitment: Interested organizations must submit an entry application that details their maternal health research idea and introduces their organization.
2. Phase 2 - Training: Selected organizations will undergo tailored training aimed at enhancing their research capacities. Up to 20 organizations will receive $10,000 to move forward to the next phase.
3. Phase 3 - Proposal Development: Organizations will receive bespoke support to craft a detailed research proposal. This phase provides funding of up to $150,000 for up to 10 organizations, which leads them to the final stage.
4. Phase 4 - Research Implementation: This final stage allows organizations to execute their approved research project with continued mentorship. The top three organizations could potentially win prizes of $350,000 for first place, $250,000 for second place, and $100,000 each for up to eight third-place winners.

How to Participate

The challenge is open to eligible non-academic, 501(c)(3) organizations in the U.S. This includes community-based, advocacy, faith-based, and tribal-serving organizations that focus on pregnant and postpartum women, as well as their families. Notably, recognized state or federally tribes are also welcome to partake.

Organizations interested in applying can register online at www.herox.com/CommunityMaternalHealth2.0 and must submit their entry application by the Phase 1 deadline, which is scheduled for September 23 at 5 PM EDT.

About HeroX

HeroX is recognized as a premier platform for crowdsourced innovation, connecting experts and problem solvers to address complex challenges across various domains. To discover more about other ongoing challenges, visit www.herox.com.