New Funding from the Oberkotter Foundation Expands Access to Hearing Screening & Diagnostic Services for Children

The Foundation's latest funding request seeks proposals for projects that bring hearing screening and diagnostic services to children and families.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Oberkotter Foundation announced a new funding opportunity and is seeking proposals that bring pediatric hearing health care closer to children and families. By expanding access to hearing screenings and diagnostic services, the Foundation seeks to increase service reach to advance equitable care so that children who are deaf or hard of hearing achieve age-appropriate listening and spoken language outcomes.

Timely access to testing and healthcare services help children access the early hearing experiences that are essential for the development of listening and spoken language skills. However, despite the importance of early detection and intervention, only about 40% of children who fail a newborn hearing screening complete the recommended diagnostic testing by 3 months of age (CDC 2002). For many families across the United States, geographic, socio-economic, infant- and family-level factors, and health system constraints can delay this crucial testing and intervention.

"So many strides have been made in pediatric hearing healthcare, and the opportunities for children who are deaf or hard of hearing are limitless. Now, one of the biggest challenges that remains is how to help families access this care as early as possible," said Teresa H. Caraway, PhD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT, Chief Executive Officer of the Oberkotter Foundation. "The expansion of service delivery models that make hearing screening and services more accessible provides an opportunity to meet families where they are and better support children in reaching their full potential."

With this funding opportunity, the Foundation intends to support projects that establish or expand service delivery models that make hearing screening and/or diagnostic services more accessible, ensuring timely identification of hearing status for families facing obstacles to care. Nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations that are located and operating within the United States, with experience in early childhood hearing loss and social drivers of health access, are invited to apply. Applications will be accepted from October 1 to November 30, 2026. Successful applicants will be notified in March 2027. Click here to view the Request for Proposals.

"Evidence shows that approaches that bring healthcare outside of traditional clinical settings and closer to families can improve service utilization, reduce loss-to-follow-up, and enable earlier diagnosis when hearing loss is present," explains Andrea Dunn, AuD, PhD, CCC-A, Vice President of Programs of the Oberkotter Foundation. "By bringing diagnostic and testing services into communities, more children who are deaf or hard of hearing will receive quality care as early as possible."

The Oberkotter Foundation believes that all families of children with hearing loss should have timely access to hearing screening and diagnostic testing, complete information, and appropriate intervention services. This funding opportunity reflects the Foundation's strategic commitment to increasing nationwide access to pediatric hearing healthcare, Listening and Spoken Language (LSL) services, and family support.  

About the Oberkotter Foundation

The Oberkotter Foundation helps families ensure their children who are deaf or hard of hearing have opportunities to reach their full potential through Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). 

The Foundation is committed to advancing science and innovation that will improve access to quality audiological and LSL services for children with hearing loss so that they develop age-appropriate listening, talking, and literacy skills. Since 1985, the Foundation has provided over $500 million in funding to improve listening, spoken language, and literacy outcomes for children with hearing loss and their families.

Read more about the Oberkotter Foundation. 

SOURCE Oberkotter Foundation