Improving Maternal Health Outcomes Through Early Action and Collective Impact
In North Texas, mothers are facing higher-than-average maternal mortality rates. These tragic maternal health outcomes are compounded by fragmented systems, limited coordination, and gaps in access to services.
To address this crisis, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker called on North Texas Community Foundation to bring community leaders together to better understand the issue. In 2023, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and local organizations began convening to examine the challenges and identify opportunities for collaboration. These early conversations facilitated by NTCF laid the groundwork for the Tarrant County Maternal and Infant Health Coalition—an aligned network focused on improving outcomes for mothers and babies in our community.
Building on this momentum, generous NTCF fundholders made an early investment in 2024 through the Foundation’s Fund for Good, providing $250,000 to support a pilot project with Best Place for Kids’ Parent Pass app. The pilot expanded access to critical resources for families, testing a practical, scalable solution while demonstrating the impact that targeted, early funding can have when paired with strong collaboration.
That combination of convening and pilot investment proved transformative for our community. These efforts ultimately led to the launch of the $25 million North Texas Maternal Health Accelerator. Now operated by the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU in partnership with UT Southwestern Medical Center, the accelerator is advancing innovative, data-driven solutions to improve maternal health outcomes across the region.
By bringing partners together early and investing strategically, the Foundation helped transform shared concern into collective action to create lasting change in our community.
“We recognize the immense value of this initiative in fostering sustainable, systemic change in maternal health care delivery.” STUART D. FLYNN, M.D., Founding Dean of the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.
Thank you to the generous NTCF donors who supported the pilot project:
Alann P. and Charles F. Bedford Endowment Fund
Susi and Mike Bickley Charitable Fund
Smith A. Brownlie III Charitable Fund
The Conerly Family Fund
DRM Charitable Fund
GWR Foundation Fund
Lowy Family Charitable Fund
Savannah Petronis and the Baird Foundation, Inc.
The Sharon Ann McCulloch-Wells and
John W. Wells Endowed Fund