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- By Native News Online Staff
The Seattle Indian Health Board was among more than 80 organizations worldwide awarded funding through Action for Women’s Health, a $250 million global initiative launched in 2024 to improve women’s mental and physical health.
Selected organizations received grants ranging from $1 million to $5 million.
Action for Women’s Health is funded by Pivotal, a group of impact organizations founded by Melinda French Gates, and managed by Lever for Change, which specializes in identifying innovative solutions to global challenges.
“We are grateful to be selected and receive this critical funding, especially during a time of such uncertainty,” said Esther Lucero (Diné), president and CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board. “Several of our services have been put at risk due to federal funding cuts—from programs supporting pregnant women and those serving survivors of intimate partner violence. This funding is going to save our entire family services division, including wraparound services for children and their parents and our WIC program.”
The Seattle Indian Health Board will use the funding to strengthen maternal and behavioral health services, address intimate partner violence, and meet the needs of pregnant and parenting women experiencing substance use disorders.
Women face inequities in nearly every aspect of their health, with disparities especially severe among American Indian and Alaska Native women. According to the Washington State Department of Health, American Indian and Alaska Native women in the state are 8.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions than non-Hispanic white women. A survey by the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) found that 94% of Native women in Seattle reported being raped or coerced into sex at some point in their lives.
“The health and wellbeing of Indigenous women are at the heart of our community’s wellness,” Lucero said. “Philanthropic support is essential to building and sustaining the programs that make that possible.”
More than 4,000 organizations from 119 countries applied for the Action for Women’s Health awards.
For more information about the initiative and awardees, visit Action for Women’s Health.
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