The Women in Health Collaborative Fund, a pilot initiative from Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, is a response to the health challenges facing Hoosier women and girls. This initiative, reflecting Women’s Fund’s strategic pillar of Health & Wellbeing, brings together health professionals to raise funds and direct grants that can improve outcomes for women and girls.
“We created this fund in response to the State of Women in Central Indiana report,” said Nichole Wilson, FACHE, Chair of Women’s Fund Advisory Board and VP of Community Health Operations at Indiana University Health. “The Fund brought together all types of women who work in healthcare—from doulas to midwives to OBGYNs to surgeons—so that they could make decisions about how funds can best be used for women’s health.”
The Women in Health Collaborative Fund is powered by collective giving, with more than fifty women in healthcare contributing. Every donor, regardless of contribution size, had a voice in voting for grant recipients. Contributions came from these donors alongside Women’s Fund, Indiana University Health, and a private family foundation fund.
“We already know that Indiana has some of the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the country,” said Cara Berg-Raunick, DNP, Co-chair of the Women in Health Collaborative Fund Steering Committee. “As a women’s health nurse practitioner, I see every day how policies worsen outcomes for women and families—and how these issues are driving providers away from our state, leaving greater gaps in care. What I love about the Women in Health Collaborative Fund is that through Women’s Fund, women are standing up and saying, ‘Trust women, trust providers—we know how to solve these issues.’”
The first round of grants went to applications in the areas of reproductive health and Black girls’ mental health. Members of the fund voted on and selected the following grant recipients:
- Martin Luther King Community Center
- The Ross Foundation
- Centers of Wellness for Urban Women
- Indiana University Foundation/PATH4YOU
- Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc.
- Just Community
The Women in Health Collaborative Fund is more than a grant program—it’s a community of women using their voices and expertise to drive change.
This article was published within the November 2024 issue of the Women’s Fund’s Diane magazine.
