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2026 Becoming Application: Funding to Support Aspiring Lactation Support Providers

Welcome!

In alignment with the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition’s commitment to addressing disparities in breastfeeding, the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition (KBC) is pleased to announce a funding program to support aspiring lactation support providers.

This program aims to increase the number of breastfeeding peer counselors, certified breastfeeding counselors, and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) available to provide culturally congruent breastfeeding support and clinical care within Kansas. All eligible applicants must reside within the state of Kansas.

Purpose - to become a lactation support provider, such as:
NOTE: WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselors should discuss the impact of a lactation certification on their job with their supervisor.

The Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition is committed to providing up to $20,000 in 2026. Individual educational grants will be capped at $1,000 for those seeking a certification and $2,000 for those wanting to take the IBCLC exam in 2027.

Grant recipients agree to:
  • Allow the KBC to recognize them publicly.
  • Create a written individual plan to meet their lactation career goals, with assistance from KBC staff.
  • Participate in monthly meetings with KBC staff for learning, networking, and to make progress on their lactation career goals.
  • Fully and promptly reimburse the KBC should the recipient not complete the educational course or training for which the applicant received funding or move out of Kansas.
  • Provide the KBC with a written report by January 31, 2028, with the following:
    • An accounting of how funds were used with receipts included;
    • A summary of compliance with the overall goal of the fund to address disparities in breastfeeding and progress toward personal lactation professional goals;
    • The return of any unused funds.
    • Return funds if the course was not completed.
Qualified expenses:
  • Exam fee for certification courses or the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) exam for first-time applicants
  • Registration fees for peer counselor trainings, eligible certification courses, and lactation education courses providing Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs).
  • KBC's clinical mentorship programs ($1,500)
  • KBC's Pathway 1 Coaching fee ($400)
  • IBLCE fee to apply for Pathway 3 approval with the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE)
  • Fees for health sciences courses required by IBLCE if not your educational background is not from the IBLCE list of Recognized Health Professions
  • Reference books on human lactation
  • Membership fees for the International and/or United States Lactation Consultant Association
  • Scrub attire required by a site for lactation-specific clinical practice ($100 maximum)
  • Personal malpractice insurance required by a site for lactation-specific clinical practice. (For example, the Color-Filled Breastfeeding: Clinical Lactation Training Program requires “Personal malpractice insurance coverage must be at a minimum of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence and Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000) in aggregate.”)
Funding for this project was provided by Kansas Department of Health and Environment with funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Maternal and Child Health Service Block Grant [Award B04MC45217; CFDA 93.994] AND provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment with funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Women, Infants, Children Nutrition Program [CFDA No. 10.557].
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