Women’s Fund of Central Indiana Announces Inaugural Women in Health Collaborative Grants Totaling $260,000
Participatory grantmaking model empowers women in healthcare to direct philanthropic impact in reproductive health and Black girls’ mental health
Women’s Fund of Central Indiana is proud to announce the first-ever grant recipients of the Women in Health Collaborative Fund, which mobilizes the expertise, resources, and lived experience of women in healthcare to improve health outcomes for women and girls in Central Indiana.
Through a participatory grantmaking process, more than 50 donors—women who work in healthcare—joined together to fund six grants totaling $260,000 across two urgent focus areas: reproductive health and the mental health of Black girls. Every donor to the fund had an opportunity to vote and determine where the money should be granted, ensuring that those closest to the work played a key role in deciding where their dollars would have the greatest impact.
2025 Grantee Partners
Black Girls’ Mental Health
- $45,000 – MLK Center: Girls Guide to Growth – Promoting Positive Mental Health
- $45,000 – The Ross Foundation: Mental Health Services for Black Teenage Mothers
Reproductive Health
- $45,000 – Centers of Wellness for Urban Women: Life Rhythms
- $45,000 – IU Foundation/PATH4YOU: Comprehensive Contraceptive and Trauma-Informed Care at Gennesaret Free Clinic
- $35,000 – Exodus Refugee Immigration: Women’s Program Case Management for Pregnant Refugee Mothers
- $45,000 – JUST Community, Inc.: Addressing Maternal Wellness with Culturally Responsive Doula Care
“This is what collective power looks like,” said Tamara Winfrey-Harris, president of Women’s Fund. “At Women’s Fund, we believe in listening to women. They told us that women’s health is a top priority—and that’s why we created these grants. And because we trust the expertise that comes from lived experience, we chose a participatory grantmaking process that lets women in healthcare—not only those doing the work, but those investing in it—decide where the money should go.”
About the Women in Health Collaborative Fund
Launched in 2024, the Women in Health Collaborative Fund is a pilot initiative of Women’s Fund designed to unite nurse practitioners, physicians, administrators, doulas, behavioral health specialists, and others across the healthcare field. Donors raise funds together, then collaboratively decide which solutions should be supported through grants.
This year’s focus on reproductive health and Black girls’ mental health was determined based on community needs, and the grant process unfolded over several months—from application review by a steering committee, to a final vote by every donor, regardless of gift size.
This work was made possible thanks to generous support from IU Health, a private family foundation, and dozens of individual donors.
To contribute to the next round of Women in Health Collaborative Fund grantmaking and vote on the recipient, click here.