State Maternal Health Innovation Program (SMHI)
🏛 Health Resources and Services Administration (HHS-HRSA)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Aug 11, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for states seeking to improve maternal health outcomes through capacity building and innovation. Eligible applicants are state health departments and state maternal health agencies. The program supports activities that reduce maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and address health inequities in maternal care.
Activities include workforce training, data system improvements, quality service enhancements, and pilot programs. This is a cooperative agreement, meaning close collaboration with HRSA is expected. States must demonstrate capacity to implement multi-year initiatives.
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Key dates
- Jul 31, 2026 Applications open
- Apr 19, 2027 Application deadline in 226 days
- Aug 31, 2027 Award announced
- Sep 30, 2027 Project start
Program description
The purpose of the State Maternal Health Innovation (SMHI) program is to build capacity in states to improve maternal health and address maternal health gaps. This is done through quality services, a skilled workforce, enhanced data quality and capacity, and innovative programming that reduces maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity (SMM).
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative/Statement of Need
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Organizational Capacity/Management Plan
- Letters of Support from state agencies and clinical partners
- Data documentation and needs assessment
Program contact
- 👤 DWH- State Maternal Health Initiative
- 📧 wellwomancare@hrsa.gov
- 📞 301-443-1702
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.110 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$53,495,269
-
$51,517,055
-
$47,831,055
-
$37,182,998
-
$30,109,677
-
$25,419,976
-
$17,859,999
-
$16,167,482
-
$15,667,860
-
$14,010,845
Top States by Funding
- DC 8 awards $142.1M
- MA 6 awards $106.6M
- MD 8 awards $71.7M
- OH 2 awards $58.9M
- NC 3 awards $43.2M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.110). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $274,459,189 | |
| 2025 | $265,688,703 | |
| 2026 est. | $185,664,902 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
State health departments and state maternal health agencies are the primary eligible applicants. Tribal organizations may be eligible as co-applicants or partners.
What is the deadline and funding range?
The deadline is April 19, 2027 (fixed date). Awards range from $657,142 to $1,000,000 per year.
What activities are supported?
Eligible activities include workforce development, data system improvement, quality enhancement, and innovative programming to reduce maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity.
Is cost sharing required?
No, cost sharing is not required for this program. However, leveraging existing state resources strengthens competitiveness.
How competitive is this grant?
This is highly competitive. Limited awards available from a $4.6M funding pool. Focus your proposal on addressing significant maternal health disparities in your state.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Use existing maternal mortality review data and needs assessments to justify your proposed activities and capacity gaps.
- Emphasize partnership with clinical providers, health systems, and community organizations in your implementation plan.
- Highlight how your state will sustain improvements beyond the grant period through policy or funding mechanisms.
- Include specific, measurable goals tied to reducing maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity rates in your target populations.
- Address health equity explicitly and demonstrate cultural responsiveness in proposed interventions and workforce strategies.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applicants fail to demonstrate clear data on their state's maternal health gaps and baseline metrics. Applications lack concrete implementation plans with realistic timelines and measurable outputs. Weak partnership descriptions or unclear roles of state and external partners reduce competitiveness.
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