AHW Awards Nearly $1.5 Million in Seed Grants to Advance Health Research and Support Community Health Projects

31 funded initiatives aim to improve health and advance health equity in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) will provide $1,474,350 in funding to 31 projects selected through a competitive application process focused on promising biomedical research and community-based initiatives aimed at improving the health and well-being of Wisconsin residents.

During its Aug. 1 – Sept. 12, 2022, application period, AHW received 40 proposals seeking Seed Grant funding, with 31 submissions receiving approval by the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Consortium on Public and Community Health, AHW Research and Education Advisory Committee, and MCW Board of Trustees – AHW's three oversight bodies.

"Our mission at AHW is to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the health of Wisconsin communities," said AHW Director Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH. "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."

Of the 31 proposals approved for funding, 17 represent research projects led by MCW faculty. These studies will advance knowledge in pursuit of solutions to critical health challenges in Wisconsin and beyond – from developing new treatments for cancer and cardiovascular disease to addressing the state's long-standing and growing healthcare 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.

For more information on projects funded by AHW, including seed grant awards that take effect in January 2023, visit the funded projects page on the AHW website.

About the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment
The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) is a statewide health philanthropy established by the Medical College of Wisconsin to steward a generous 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. Learn more at www.ahwendowment.org.

SOURCE Medical College of Wisconsin