The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment will provide about $1.5 million in seed grant funding to 31 projects aimed at improving the health of Wisconsin residents, the organization announced this week.
“Our mission at AHW is to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the health of Wisconsin communities,” said Jesse Ehrenfeld, AHW director. “This recent round of seed grant funding is proof positive of the good work being done both within MCW and throughout Wisconsin that warrants attention, funding, and collaboration in order to maximize its positive impact on the health of the communities we serve.”
AHW was established by the Medical College of Wisconsin to steward a financial gift from Blue Cross & Blue Shield United of Wisconsin. Since 2004, AHW has invested more than $336 million in 600 health research, workforce development, and community health initiatives statewide.
During its application period, AHW received 40 proposals seeking seed grant funding, with 31 submissions receiving approval by the MCW Consortium on Public and Community Health, AHW Research and Education Advisory Committee, and MCW Board of Trustees – AHW’s three oversight bodies.
Of the 31 proposals approved for funding, 17 represent research projects led by MCW faculty. These studies will address topics ranging from developing new treatments for cancer and cardiovascular disease to addressing the state’s long-standing and growing health care workforce shortage.
AHW will also fund 14 community-based initiatives focused on improving health and advancing health equity across Wisconsin and within specific communities – from improving crisis care in rural and tribal northern Wisconsin communities to increasing health literacy among refugee populations and reducing alcohol-related violence in vulnerable Milwaukee neighborhoods.
