South Dakota Safe Sleep Collaborative Wellmark Expansion
South Dakota Safe Sleep Collaborative Wellmark Expansion supports community-led projects that fund safe sleep education and outreach to reduce sleep-related infant deaths and improve infant outcomes statewide.
Funder: South Dakota Department of Health
Due Dates: October 16, 2026 (application, 5:00 p.m. CST)
Funding Amounts: Up to $40,000 per organization; designated funding for projects requesting up to $20,000
Summary: Supports community-led, data-driven projects that promote safe sleep and reduce infant deaths in South Dakota.
Key Information: Every project must include a safe sleep component aligned with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ most recent recommendations.
Description
The South Dakota Department of Health (SD DOH), in partnership with The Wellmark Foundation, funds community-led projects to promote safe sleep, reduce sleep-related infant deaths, and improve infant outcomes across South Dakota. Projects may tailor education, outreach, and interventions to local needs while building community capacity. Activities must address at least one focus area: preventing sleep-related infant mortality, promoting safe sleep, preventing sudden unexpected infant death, or preventing infant mortality.
The program seeks evidence-based or evidence-informed interventions designed with an understanding of the communities they serve. Examples include safe sleep training, culturally tailored resources, outreach campaigns, focus groups, and programs led by community leaders. Communities experiencing disproportionate rates of sudden unexpected infant death, sleep-related infant death, and infant mortality receive priority.
