March of Dimes Foundation

March of Dimes Foundation

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis — renamed March of Dimes — in 1938, initially funding the research that produced the Salk polio vaccine. After polio's decline, the foundation refocused its mission to prevent birth defects and infant mortality. Today, March of Dimes centers on ending preventable maternal death, preterm birth, and health disparities through a mix of research grants, advocacy, and direct programs. The foundation allocates capital across three primary tracks: research grants to academic medical centers, a mission-related Innovation Fund that makes equity and debt investments in early-stage maternal-health companies, and direct program spending on community health initiatives and its Mom and Baby Action Network. Through its Innovation Fund, March of Dimes can participate in Seed through Series A rounds, targeting digital health platforms, diagnostics, and devices that address pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. The fund's investment committee includes external advisors such as Fred Goltz, Emma Goltz, and Dana Martin of Bridstowe Capital, with medical oversight from Dr. George Saade. The foundation operates from its national headquarters at 1550 Crystal Drive in Arlington, Virginia. Its volunteer-led governance structure includes a National Board of Trustees chaired by Ellen Kelsay. March of Dimes also maintains a cryptocurrency donation portfolio and has experimented with NFT fundraising vehicles, including the Go Milky NFT project. In recent years, the foundation has deepened its convening role through the Mom and Baby Action Network, coordinating healthcare systems, payers, and community organizations around shared maternal-health metrics. March of Dimes occupies a hybrid position: a grant-making foundation that also operates a corporate venture-style fund, competing alongside specialist health-tech VCs for deal access. Its brand and deep ties to maternal-fetal medicine communities provide proprietary sourcing into academic spinouts and clinical-adoption pathways that purely financial investors cannot easily replicate. The board's inclusion of an active investment committee chair suggests an intent to run the Innovation Fund with professional asset-management discipline, distinct from the grant-making side of the house.