Virginia funding transparency
What happened
Community groups say millions set aside by the Virginia Department of Health for maternal‑health programs have not been disbursed and many applicants were denied without clear explanations. (whro.org) Local organisations report uncertainty about selection criteria, timelines and appeals nearly a year after the funds were allocated. (whro.org)
Why it matters
Virginia community groups say a $2.5 million maternal-health grant program is still largely opaque, months after applications closed and rejection notices went out. (whro.org) The money sits in the Virginia Department of Health’s Perinatal Health Hubs Pilot Program, a two-year grant program created in the 2025 state budget to expand community-based care for pregnant and postpartum people and their infants. The department’s program page says applications were due December 1, 2025. (vdh.virginia.gov) Hampton Roads groups told WHRO they received rejection emails in early April 2026 after months of limited communication from the state. WHRO reported that more than 30 groups initially expressed interest and only four organizations were selected, but the Virginia Department of Health had not publicly named the recipients as of April 13. (whro.org) The program was designed to fund “perinatal health hubs,” which the department defines as community-based sites that provide multiple services before birth and through at least one year postpartum. The state says those hubs can include doulas, community health workers, peer support specialists and other perinatal providers. (vdh.virginia.gov, vdh.virginia.gov) Virginia lawmakers created the pilot after a 2023 law directed the health department to convene a workgroup on ways to reduce maternal and infant deaths and expand the hub model. The department says the workgroup’s consensus definition became the basis for the grant program. (vdh.virginia.gov) The funding was also part of a broader state push on maternal health. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration backed $2.5 million for perinatal hubs in 2025, alongside other proposals for doulas, community health workers and maternal-health outreach. (virginiamercury.com, budget.lis.virginia.gov) The need is acute in Virginia’s own mortality data. The Virginia Mercury reported that, in state data from 2018 through 2022, Black pregnancy-related deaths nearly doubled white pregnancy-related deaths even though white women outnumber Black women in Virginia by roughly five to one. (virginiamercury.com) Virginia has also been trying to build the workforce these hubs would rely on. The National Academy for State Health Policy says Virginia’s 2025 budget put $3.2 million in fiscal 2025 and $3.2 million in fiscal 2026 into community health worker positions at local health districts, with priority for areas that have the highest maternal mortality rates. (nashp.org) What applicants say they still do not have is a clear public accounting of how this first round was scored, when awards will be finalized, or whether denied groups can appeal. For organizations that spent months preparing proposals, the program meant to expand maternal-health access has instead become a test of how Virginia explains who gets funded and why. (whro.org),
Key numbers
- (whro.org) Virginia community groups say a $2.5 million maternal-health grant program is still largely opaque, months after applications closed and rejection notices went out.
- (whro.org) The money sits in the Virginia Department of Health’s Perinatal Health Hubs Pilot Program, a two-year grant program created in the 2025 state budget to expand community-based care for pregnant and postpartum people and their infants.
- The department’s program page says applications were due December 1, 2025.
- (vdh.virginia.gov) Hampton Roads groups told WHRO they received rejection emails in early April 2026 after months of limited communication from the state.
What happens next
- (whro.org) The money sits in the Virginia Department of Health’s Perinatal Health Hubs Pilot Program, a two-year grant program created in the 2025 state budget to expand community-based care for pregnant and postpartum people and their infants.
- (vdh.virginia.gov, vdh.virginia.gov) Virginia lawmakers created the pilot after a 2023 law directed the health department to convene a workgroup on ways to reduce maternal and infant deaths and expand the hub model.
- (nashp.org) What applicants say they still do not have is a clear public accounting of how this first round was scored, when awards will be finalized, or whether denied groups can appeal.
Quick answers
What happened in Virginia funding transparency?
Community groups say millions set aside by the Virginia Department of Health for maternal‑health programs have not been disbursed and many applicants were denied without clear explanations. (whro.org) Local organisations report uncertainty about selection criteria, timelines and appeals nearly a year after the funds were allocated. (whro.org)
Why does Virginia funding transparency matter?
Virginia community groups say a $2.5 million maternal-health grant program is still largely opaque, months after applications closed and rejection notices went out. (whro.org) The money sits in the Virginia Department of Health’s Perinatal Health Hubs Pilot Program, a two-year grant program created in the 2025 state budget to expand community-based care for pregnant and postpartum people and their infants. The department’s program page says applications were due December 1, 2025. (vdh.virginia.gov) Hampton Roads groups told WHRO they received rejection emails in early April 2026 after months of limited communication from the state. WHRO reported that more than 30 groups initially expressed interest and only four organizations were selected, but the Virginia Department of Health had not publicly named the recipients as of April 13. (whro.org) The program was designed to fund “perinatal health hubs,” which the department defines as community-based sites that provide multiple services before birth and through at least one year postpartum. The state says those hubs can include doulas, community health workers, peer support specialists and other perinatal providers. (vdh.virginia.gov, vdh.virginia.gov) Virginia lawmakers created the pilot after a 2023 law directed the health department to convene a workgroup on ways to reduce maternal and infant deaths and expand the hub model. The department says the workgroup’s consensus definition became the basis for the grant program. (vdh.virginia.gov) The funding was also part of a broader state push on maternal health. Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration backed $2.5 million for perinatal hubs in 2025, alongside other proposals for doulas, community health workers and maternal-health outreach. (virginiamercury.com, budget.lis.virginia.gov) The need is acute in Virginia’s own mortality data. The Virginia Mercury reported that, in state data from 2018 through 2022, Black pregnancy-related deaths nearly doubled white pregnancy-related deaths even though white women outnumber Black women in Virginia by roughly five to one. (virginiamercury.com) Virginia has also been trying to build the workforce these hubs would rely on. The National Academy for State Health Policy says Virginia’s 2025 budget put $3.2 million in fiscal 2025 and $3.2 million in fiscal 2026 into community health worker positions at local health districts, with priority for areas that have the highest maternal mortality rates. (nashp.org) What applicants say they still do not have is a clear public accounting of how this first round was scored, when awards will be finalized, or whether denied groups can appeal. For organizations that spent months preparing proposals, the program meant to expand maternal-health access has instead become a test of how Virginia explains who gets funded and why. (whro.org),
