Nonprofit Grant Application - Women's Health
This is a writing sample from Scripted writer Catie MacDonald
Describe the demographic the organization serves: * The Jaxon Kade Foundation serves families all over the state of Oklahoma who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss. Nationally, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, and 1 in 100 end in stillbirth. Oklahoma has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation. Our goal is to provide support, equipment, and resources to improve the standard of care for all of those families in our state. Miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss occur within every demographic of women and family types, however, there is an increased rate for minority families and families of lower socioeconomic status. *Organization's Mission: * At The Jaxon Kade Foundation, our mission is to provide support, resources, and equipment to help families in their time of tragedy after the death of their baby. Our current focus is to purchase cooling bassinets to donate to hospitals to use in the event of infant death. Often, after an infant's death or stillbirth, parents only get a few hours to say goodbye to their baby before the harsh effects of decomposition begin, as babies' bodies are so fragile. Often during these few hours, the mother is recovering from childbirth and may not even be able to hold her baby. A Caring Cradle or Cuddle Cot works to keep the baby's body cool to allow parents to keep their baby in-room with them as long as they would like. This allows precious time to make memories, take photographs, invite family to meet their baby, and make burial and funeral arrangements without being rushed. Research shows that women who are allowed unrestricted contact with their stillborn babies after birth have better long-term psychological outcomes compared with those who did not¹. Our mission is that all families in Oklahoma facing infant loss will have access to this technology, along with support resources and outreach after going home. 1. https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.13009 *Brief History of Organization: * In June of 2014, President and Vice President Brittany and Joshua Martin were scheduled to give birth to their child. After arriving at the hospital for a routine full-term induction, they learned that their sweet baby Jaxon had passed away. Brittany had to hear the devastating death of their baby and go through the pains of labor all within a few hours. Jaxon was born silently on July 19th, and Brittany and Josh only got about 90 minutes with their son before his sweet body started to change and they had to say goodbye. All the while, she was recovering from labor and having to make funeral preparations and burial arrangements. After Jaxon was born, Brittany and Joshua learned about the cooling bassinet called a Cuddle Cot. At the time, there were only 4 of these units available in the United States. Joshua and Brittany came up with the dream to not only purchase one in Jaxon's honor but to place one in every hospital in Oklahoma, so that every family facing loss would be able to have precious time with their baby. Being avid off-roaders and Jeep owners, Brittany and Joshua blended these two passions by starting The 4x4 Show, Oklahoma's only exclusively 4x4 auto show, to raise funds for this mission. The Jaxon Kade Foundation, Inc was born to officially accomplish these goals. The Martins placed their first Cuddle Cot at Lakeside Women's Hospital, where Jaxon was born, in December of 2016. Since then, The Jaxon Kade Foundation has placed a total of 16 cooling bassinets, known by the name brands Cuddle Cots and Caring Cradles, throughout the state of Oklahoma, with several more slated for the near future. There is a Cuddle Cot or Caring Cradle at St. Anthony Hospital, Lakeside Women's Hospital, two at Mercy Hospital, Southwest Medical Center, Integris Health Edmond, Integris Canadian Valley Hospital, OU Children's Hospital, Integris Bass Baptist in Enid, Stillwater Medical Center, St. John's Medical Center, Hillcrest Main Hospital, Hillcrest South Hospital, St. Francis Main Hospital, and McAlester Regional Health Center, and Alliance Health Durant. Our goal is to place one in both the Labor and Delivery and NICU units at all the hospitals in the state, as well as to assist hospital staff in implementing the cradle. We also provide support to families in their grief after their loss in the form of support groups and continued mail/email correspondence to walk families through their grief journey. *How does your organization raise funds for projects and programs? * Our biggest fundraiser of the year is our annual 4x4 Show, an offroad Jeep and truck show. Last year's show brought in roughly 3000 attendees and raised over $20,000. We hope to exceed that this year. The show is held in October, the closest Saturday to National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Further, we raise funds online through social media throughout the year. We have had several mothers who have lost a child raise money for our foundation to honor their baby and to purchase a Cuddle Cot or Caring Cradle in their baby's memory to give back to other families facing the death of their child. This type of fundraising is especially powerful to see. *3. NEEDS STATEMENT * *Please provide a brief description of the needs in the Oklahoma City and the surrounding community that are addressed by your organization. Include any evidence to support the significance and magnitude of the problem. * Nationally, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, and 1 in 100 end in stillbirth². According to the CDC, the national infant mortality rate, which includes stillbirths and infant deaths before the age of 1, is 5.8 infant deaths per 1000 live births. However, Oklahoma has an infant mortality rate of 7.7 infant deaths per 1000 live births, putting us tied as the 3rd highest state in the nation for infant mortality³. These statistics only include infants who were issued a birth certificate or a certificate of stillbirth – families who lost a baby before 20 weeks gestation often do not receive these certificates and are not included. These losses would still benefit from our services and could use a cooling bassinet; therefore the statistics are significantly higher. At The Jaxon Kade Foundation, we see these numbers as far more than a statistic, but rather as real families going through the tragedy of a lifetime. Our goal is to support these families through their time of tragedy, from the moment they arrive at the hospital and give birth to their baby to later in their grief in the form of support groups and correspondence. Without a cooling bassinet, families facing the death of their baby often only get a few hours with their child. They leave the hospital with empty arms and many regrets of memories they wish they had made. When an adult passes away, our culture has many common and accepted ceremonies and rituals to respect and say goodbye to their loved ones including wakes, viewings, open-casket funerals, and graveside ceremonies. These ceremonies provide closure and facilitate the grief process. With a baby, many of these are not possible due to the quick rate of decomposition on their small and fragile bodies. Although this fact is harsh to consider, it is the reality these families have to face. With a Cuddle Cot or Caring Cradle, these families can have days instead of just hours to say goodbye to their infant, allowing the parents time to process their loss and lessening the trauma of the event, as well as time to sleep and rest without being rushed. Stillbirth greatly increases a mother's risk of experiencing postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder³. Postpartum mental illness is linked to long-term adverse outcomes in the mother's children as well, resulting in multi-generational negative effects⁴. Mothers who perceive not spending enough time with their baby after stillbirth and who report not receiving memorial tokens are at an even higher increased rate of psychological distress³. On the other hand, women who are allowed to hold their baby and are supported to do so with empathy and sensitivity show significantly lower rates of post-traumatic stress disorder 5-18 years after the loss of their baby, which shows the long-lasting benefits of the practice³. Families experiencing infant mortality also face hardships such as family relationship disruption and economic challenges. In the USA, perinatal and child death is conservatively estimated to cost about $1.5 billion per year⁵. These family hardships are greatly magnified when the birth of their child is more traumatic due to a lack of hospital support and resources. When a Caring Cradle is available, the hospital staff is enabled and empowered to better support the family in processing the loss and creating keepsakes. High levels of support from hospital staff are shown to lessen the trauma and decrease the rate of ongoing postpartum anxiety and depression⁵. 1. https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/stillbirth.aspx 2. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/infant_mortality_rates/infant_m ortality.htm 3. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/10/e003323 4. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2018/june2018/patient focus-postpartum-depression-and-its-longterm-effects-on-children 5. https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.130009 **4. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM TO BENEFIT FROM GRANT FUNDING Describe the project or program designed to address the community needs as expressed above in Section II. Include relevant history, goals, steps to achieve goals, and overall impact on the community. If this project or program does not involve serving clients, explain how it will enhance the organization's ability to achieve its goals and objectives. ** Our mission in purchasing a Cuddle Cot or Caring Cradle for every Oklahoma hospital in the state will give each family in Oklahoma facing infant death the gift of time to say goodbye to their infant. Through purchasing and donating the 16 cooling bassinets we have already placed, hundreds of families per year are already benefiting from the use of these devices. In Oklahoma City, we have so far only been able to place one cooling bassinet at each of the main hospitals. However, our largest hospitals need two units, as the volume of babies delivered along with our high infant mortality rate means that there will be times the unit will be already in-use when another family would need it. Further, in very large hospitals, it is not possible for the labor and delivery unit to coordinate with the NICU to share one bassinet between the two units. Our goal is to place a cooling bassinet, along with bereavement and support materials such as grief books, burial gowns, memory boxes, footprint kits, etc. in both the labor and delivery units as well as the NICU of the biggest hospitals in our state. We have already placed two units at Mercy Hospital. We also currently have a family fundraising to place a second unit in the NICU of OU Children's Hospital. Integris Children's Hospital at Integris Baptist Medical Center needs a second unit to be primarily placed in their NICU. We have already contacted the staff at this hospital, and they have expressed the need and shown interest in receiving and implementing a Caring Cradle. Integris Baptist Medical Center treated 55 deaths in their Labor and Delivery Unit alone from March 2018-March 2019. Their NICU treated 13 infant deaths in the same amount of time. As that average is more than one per week, logistically many of those losses are likely to occur simultaneously. There is a great need for a second cooling bassinet to be placed at Integris so that no family has to go without this important technology. Our foundation requires hospitals to sign a contract stating that they will not charge patients for the use of the Cradle and that they will use the device every time the need arises, to ensure that our donation is being used and implemented. Integris Baptist has already signed a contract for their second device, showing they are eager to implement this donation. Once the Caring Cradle is placed at Integris Children's Hospital, they will be able to better serve all of their families experiencing a perinatal or neonatal death by giving them the precious time with their baby to say goodbye and will improve psychological outcomes for their patients. This will make a long-lasting impact on the families of Oklahoma City and the surrounding area. *Number of People to be served in the community by the project or program stated above (funded by the grant): * *Describe the specific ways you expect the project's plans/actions to impact the target community, including the number and percent of the community that will benefit. * The Caring Cradle is a cooling bassinet shaped like any other bassinet, giving the families dignity in having a beautiful place to lay their baby (see photo below.) The bassinet uses air circulation similar to that used in a refrigerator. The manufacturer, Comfort Innovations, LLC, estimates the product will last approximately 7 years, although just as refrigeration equipment can last much longer and can be repaired if needed, this product could also potentially exceed that timeframe. As Integris Children's Hospital serves approximately 68 infant losses per year, approximately 476 families could benefit from the use of this device over those 7 years. Not only will the mothers benefit from the lowered risk of long-term psychological distress, but the extended family can also benefit from the closure in potentially meeting the baby and/or sharing the photographs and keepsakes parents are given. Further, the lowered risk of postpartum mental illness in the mother also limits adverse outcomes in her children, providing a multi-generational cascade of benefits. *Demographics of population your project targets (age, culture, income, or other characteristics): * Our work has shown us that miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss touches every demographic – all different ethnicities, ages, and socioeconomic statuses. We have spoken with families who were able to use our donated cradles from all different backgrounds and in all different situations. Nationally, the infant mortality rate is highest for women under the age of 20, decreases after that point, and rises again after the age of 40¹. There is also a national disparity in race and Hispanic origin; Black and American Indian women have a two-fold increase in the infant mortality rate than White women¹. Further, states with the lowest average socioeconomic status have the highest infant mortality rate. It is our experience that lower socioeconomic areas with less access to prenatal care and health insurance experience higher rates of infant mortality. Those demographics will therefore be able to benefit from our donation and services more frequently than others. However, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss can and does happen to all types of families, and any family going through that tragedy will be able to benefit from the use of our Cradle. 1. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_10-508.pdf *Is there another organization that has a similar project/program? If yes, please explain by whom and why you feel your program is unique: * We are the only organization in the state with the same mission and focus. Several foundations provide social support, but we are the only organization focused mainly on purchasing cooling bassinets. Before our foundation began placing them, there were no cooling bassinets in Oklahoma at all. Other than the 16 units our Foundation has placed, we believe there are only five others in the state, two purchased by a hospital themselves, and the others purchased privately by other families. We, therefore, feel our foundation is unique in the way we tangibly support families facing infant loss. *Explain how the project is consistent with your organization's overall mission: * At The Jaxon Kade Foundation, our mission is to provide support, resources, and equipment to help families in their time of tragedy after the death of their baby. Our current focus is to purchase cooling bassinets to donate to hospitals to use in the event of infant death. Our mission is that all families in Oklahoma will have access to this technology, along with support resources and outreach after going home. Purchasing another Caring Cradle for Integris Children's Hospital will further our mission to ensure that all families facing the death of a baby will have access to a cooling bassinet. *State the duration of the project and provide a realistic project timeline (lead time, start date, dates of major milestones, completion date): * Should our grant be funded: - Funds presented: May 2020 - Order for Caring Cradle placed immediately - Caring Cradle shipped and received within 30 days by the manufacturer Comfort Innovations, LLC - Once received, hospital delivery and dedication ceremony will be scheduled at the hospital's convenience, usually within 30 days of receipt. - Pending delivery date by manufacturer and hospital scheduling availability, Caring Cradle will be donated and delivered to Integris Children's Hospital at a special ceremony dedicating the Caring Cradle in a deceased baby's honor by August 2020. *5. PROJECT/PROGRAM BUDGET * **Please include specific information on how the grant funds will be spent, the total amount requested, and the breakdown of the grant request (quantity, item description, unit cost, and total cost of other appropriate specifications). Please note that Junior Hospitality Club, Inc. does not fund salaries. Do not include this number in the budget below. | Amount requested: | $5000 | | Caring Cradle price from Comfort Innovations, LLC (bulk/loyalty rate for The Jaxon Kade Foundation, not to be advertised publicly) | $4825.00 | | Empty Arms: Coping With Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Infant Death, Surviving The First Hours and Beyond by Sherokee Ilse | $6 x 29 copies = 174.00 | 6. SUSTAINABILITY OF PROJECT *Describe the sustainability of the project: * As the Caring Cradle is a multi-use device that can be used with every patient who needs one, this project purchase will continue to bless families at Integris Children's Hospital for years to come. The Caring Cradle has a warranty, and should maintenance projects come up after the warranty, our foundation will use diverse fundraising strategies to obtain the funds to repair and/or replace the unit should the need arise, such as online fundraisers through social media and funds from The Annual 4x4 Show. *Will you accept partial funding for this project? * Should partial funding be offered, we would be happy to accept. *If partial funds are granted, explain how the organization would secure the needed funds to complete the project or program: * The Jaxon Kade Foundation will use social media campaign fundraising, as well as funds from The 4x4 Show to obtain the remaining funds needed to purchase a Caring Cradle for Integris Children's Hospital. *7. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION * Please include a complete list of your current Board of Directors with contact information. Brittany Martin, President, thejaxonkadefoundation@gmail.com Joshua Martin, Vice President, joshTJKF@gmail.com Alicia Strawn, Secretary/Accountant, aliciaTJKF@gmail.com Barbara Beams, Family Support Director, barbTJKF@gmail.com Catie MacDonald, Communications Director, catieTJKF@gmail.com *List the percent of the board that donates annually to the organization: * 100% of board members are volunteers; no board member receives a salary. 100% of board members donate annually.
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