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Colleen McDonald – Sr. Consultant, Earned Media
C: 414-801-3146 | cmcdonald@mcw.edu
Momentum Grants support innovative work focused on improving health throughout Wisconsin
Milwaukee – July 22, 2026 – The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) will fund 43 new projects aligned with the organization’s core aims of improving community health, advancing health research, and developing the state’s health workforce. The grants of up to $250,000 were awarded through a competitive application process, with both community-based non-profit organizations and Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) faculty eligible for funding.
The funding covers eligible expenses incurred by project teams over a 24-month period starting on July 1, 2026. Grant applications underwent a rigorous review process before approval of a final slate of projects by the MCW Consortium on Public and Community Health, the AHW Research and Education Advisory Committee, and the MCW Board of Trustees—AHW’s three oversight bodies.
AHW awarded 24 grants totaling $5,905,563 to community-based organizations throughout Wisconsin. Nine of the community-focused grants support projects with statewide reach, while 12 projects focus on urban centers and three are rooted in rural communities. In total, funded projects directly impact 20 Wisconsin counties. Community projects receiving AHW funding include initiatives dedicated to strengthening the state’s rural health workforce; increasing health literacy; improving access to mental health care; expanding care to marginalized populations; combating substance use disorders; and addressing growing childhood mental and behavioral health challenges.
Additionally, AHW is funding 19 research projects with grants totaling $4,725,497. Among the MCW faculty-led initiatives receiving AHW support are efforts to expand influenza vaccination; treat respiratory conditions in premature infants; prevent, detect, and treat HIV; increase advance care planning among low-income populations; develop new treatments for vision loss; address mid-life obesity; and improve the identification of and response to sex trafficking.
“These Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment Momentum Grants reflect the power of partnership, research, and community-centered work to improve health across Wisconsin,” said AHW Interim Executive Director Cheryl Maurana, PhD. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support these outstanding projects at the Medical College of Wisconsin and in communities throughout the state, all in service of advancing health and well-being for the people of Wisconsin.”
For more information on projects funded by AHW, visit the funded projects page on the AHW website.
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About the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment
The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) is Wisconsin’s largest health improvement philanthropy. AHW was 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 over $425 million in more than 1,000 health research, workforce development, and community health initiatives statewide. Learn more at www.ahwendowment.org.
