First Candle Awarded $11 Million Grant to Continue Fight Against Infant Mortality

First Candle is pleased to announce that the organization has received an $11 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to conduct a ground-breaking program to help prevent infant deaths that occur as a result of unsafe sleep practices. As part of the organization’s National Crib Campaign, Bedtime Basics for Babies will combine a crib distribution program with wide-spread public and professional education and a rigorous evaluation component. The goal is to demonstrate our ability to influence infant sleeping practices and save infant lives.

The scope of the project will focus efforts in the states of Indiana and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia. Over a seven-year period, it is anticipated that approximately 200,000 cribs will be distributed to families in need and at-risk. The educational component will focus more broadly on delivering lifesaving safe sleep messages to parents, professionals and the general public. Messages will include the importance of creating a ‘safe sleep zone’ around babies during sleep and promoting room sharing rather than bed sharing to facilitate breastfeeding and bonding at night. It is anticipated that a substantial decrease in infant mortality will be realized across the regions by the end of the program.

The research component will be lead by James J. Kemp, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy and Pulmonary Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis and Rachel Moon, MD, pediatrician and SIDS researcher at Children's National Medical Center and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The implications of a study of this magnitude are far-reaching. With proof that such campaigns can save babies lives simply by putting them to sleep in a safe crib rather than adult beds and other unsafe places, the project has the capacity to change child care practices nationwide, literally saving thousands and thousands of lives in the years to come.

Read the national press release
Learn more about Bedtime Basics for Babies, visit bedtimebasics