Building Statewide Coordination: Lessons from Georgia and Illinois
At the State Exchange's first Learning Lab of 2026, national and state funders from across the country came together to explore how philanthropy can strengthen statewide maternal health ecosystems. Through conversations with funders from Georgia and Illinois, we examined different approaches to coordination, and the role philanthropy can play in bringing partners together across sectors.
Across many states, the building blocks for improving maternal health are already in place. Nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, public agencies, advocates, and philanthropic partners are deeply committed to improving outcomes for mothers and babies—yet these efforts often operate in silos making it challenging to see gaps in the system and opportunities to improve efficiencies and connections. Multiple collaboratives may be working toward similar goals but miss opportunities to align strategies with one another. At times, funders may end up supporting duplicative work without coordinating investments. In other states, there are fewer efforts and commitments across sectors but collaboration is still needed to help instigate action, draw attention to the need, and build momentum across the public and private sectors to invest in and build programs to improve maternal health.
In both cases - coordination and collaboration is paramount at the state level in order to see systems change, ensure advocates voices are heard, and policies are both changed and implemented in service of better maternal health outcomes.
For philanthropy, this raises an important question: How can philanthropy use its financial and non-financial assets to help build stronger statewide maternal health ecosystems?
A Blueprint for Building Statewide Coordination
While every state will take a different path, funders and stakeholders in Georgia and Illinois followed a similar sequence that other funders can adapt.
Start by listening and mapping.
Before creating a new initiative, understand the existing ecosystem.
Map organizations, collaborative efforts, funding flows, and community priorities to identify where coordination exists and is needed.
Bring together a cross-sector group of partners.
Include philanthropy, community organizations, healthcare providers, government agencies, researchers, and advocates.
Invest early and continuously in relationship-building and establish shared expectations before developing strategy.
Design for trust and collaboration, not just the work.
Spend time on co-designing governance, decision-making processes, participation expectations, and shared values.
Be intentional about building the container for trust and honest conversations.
Trust and collaboration is part of the work itself.
Build a shared roadmap.
Identify common priorities, clarify organizational roles, and create a plan that aligns existing efforts rather than creating new ones.
Start with early opportunities for shared learning and aligned action to build the roadmap for formal collaboration.
Invest in the infrastructure behind coordination.
Successful collaboration requires backbone support—including facilitation, project management, communications, evaluation and shared learning, and ongoing convening.
Consider which partners are best suited for this role, and how philanthropy can play a role in resourcing this type of support.