Michael Reese Health Trust Announces First $1 Million in Grants from Prairie State Access Fund

Michael Reese Health Trust Announces First $1 Million in Grants from Prairie State Access Fund

Initial investments strengthen reproductive and sexual healthcare across Illinois

CHICAGO, Ill. — The Michael Reese Health Trust announced the first round of grants from the Prairie State Access Fund, awarding $1 million in flexible funding to four organizations across Illinois’ reproductive and sexual healthcare ecosystem: Chicago Abortion Fund, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, Repro TLC, and the Red Tent Fund.

Launched in partnership with Governor JB Pritzker earlier this year, the Prairie State Access Fund is designed to strengthen Illinois’ healthcare infrastructure through strategic, flexible grantmaking that supports providers and community-based organizations delivering care across the full reproductive and sexual health continuum.

“Illinois has become a critical access point for reproductive and sexual healthcare, serving patients from across the Midwest and the country,” said Ameya Pawar, President and CEO of Michael Reese Health Trust. “These grants are an important first step in ensuring that the providers and organizations meeting this demand have the resources they need to sustain care today and build resilience for the future.”

The initial grants will provide general operating support to organizations delivering a range of services, including contraception, STI testing and treatment, gender-affirming healthcare, abortion care, and patient support services, as well as training and capacity building efforts that strengthen the broader sexual and reproductive healthcare workforce.

Illinois has seen significant increases in demand for reproductive and sexual healthcare services in recent years, with more than 35,000 patients traveling to the state in 2024. Providers across Illinois are meeting this demand while navigating a complex and shifting environment shaped by federal policy changes, legal challenges, and political pressure.

“Reproductive and sexual healthcare providers are essential to the broader healthcare safety net, yet too often operate with limited and uncertain resources,” Pawar added. “The Prairie State Access Fund is designed to meet urgent needs while also strengthening the long-term infrastructure that makes care accessible, equitable, and sustainable.”

"Practicing reproductive health providers and those in training face unprecedented challenges in this current political and economic landscape," said Latona Giwa, RN, BSN, IBCLC, Executive Director of Repro TLC. "Repro TLC is honored to receive support from the Prairie State Access Fund to stabilize and expand the training pipelines and workforce infrastructure we have built over the last twenty years. We will continue to prioritize providers, patients, and communities most impacted by reproductive oppression."

"Michael Reese Hospital was founded on the Jewish value of tikkun olam, a commitment to repairing the world by serving all people regardless of who they are or where they come from, and the Red Tent Fund is proud to carry that legacy forward at a moment when access to abortion care has never been more urgent or more necessary," said Allison Tombros Korman, Founder and Executive Director of the Red Tent Fund, a national Jewish abortion fund that provides direct funding to patients seeking abortion care at independent clinics across the country.

“Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is honored to partner with Prairie State Access Fund as a grant recipient,” said Adrienne White-Faines, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois. “As an essential provider in the Illinois’ health care infrastructure, these funds allow PPIL to continue to expand access to thousands of Illinois residents for quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including wellness exams, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, family planning, abortion and gender-affirming care, while also serving increasing numbers of out-of-state patients who seek our services.”

The Prairie State Access Fund is guided by a steering committee of leaders from government, philanthropy, and healthcare, and is designed to deploy resources and serve as a convener to support coordination and long-term system resilience.

These first grants mark the beginning of a broader effort to expand philanthropic support for Illinois' reproductive and sexual healthcare system, and increase national support for organizations delivering care on the frontlines.

Michael Reese partners with the Chicagoland community to advance and advocate for lasting health solutions. We do this by carrying forward the vision of Michael Reese Hospital’s Jewish founders and the generations of philanthropic leadership they inspired. We envision a future where every community has the resources needed to be a healthy and safe place for people to live, learn, work and play.


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