Home - The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation

Our Mission

To improve outcomes of pregnancy, childbirth, prematurity, and infancy, as well as aid grieving families through financial assistance, education, and advocacy.

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What We Do

Provide financial assistance to families dealing with high-risk or complicated pregnancies, NICU stays, or loss
Advocate for institutional change to make outcomes and experiences better for families
Educate on topics related to pregnancy, NICU, loss, grief, parenting after loss, infertility, and more

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The Impact of Our Work

Giving the Gift of Time

Our financial assistance program helps families get to prenatal programs, to the NICU, and to grieve. This support gives families time, time to take care of themselves and time to spend with their families.

Taking an Active Role

Our financial assistance program allows pregnant people to follow medical recommendations and orders as well as for parents to be present and actively participating in their child's care.

Making a Difference

Our advocacy work challenges the status quo as we work to gather more data, increase research dollars, institute programs and laws to help make systemic challenges that help all families.

Breaking Taboos

Through our educational programs, we are taking issues out from behind closed doors and talking and educating about topics related to infertility, pregnancy, loss, perinatal health, parenting, and more.

The Problems Nationwide

☛ The average American family is only $400 away from financial crisis

☛ About 1 in 5 pregnancies in the U.S. have some sort of activity restriction
☛ Only 50 to 60% of these orders are strictly followed by patients

☛ About 1 in 10 babies in the United States go to The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
☛ More than 70% of NICU families report financial strain and are 50% more likely to experience long-term financial stress

☛ Approximately 1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss
☛ About 30% of families with pregnancy or infant loss report financial difficulty and survivors are 50% more likely to experience long-term financial strain

Families We Help

☛ Our average family is at 117% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
☛ On average, our families are experiencing a decrease of $8,000 from the previous year due to their current situation
☛ For NICU families, they are traveling an average of 93 miles one way to see their babies
☛ Families seeking help are carrying an average debt of $2,800
☛ Our average famaily has a 101 day stay in the NICU

Solutions Provided and Outcomes Reached

☛ Financial assistance to help pregnant persons get to prenatal visits
☛ Financial assistance to help pregnant persons to follow medical guidelines and orders
☛ Financial assistance to allow parents to visit their babies
☛ Financial assistance so that postpartum parents can recover
☛ Financial assistance so parents who lose a baby can afford funeral expenses
☛ Financial assistance so parents can grieve
☛ Over 80% of our families report that the help they received either had a significant impact or was life-changing

Financial Assistance

We provide financial assistance to families dealing with high-risk or complicated pregnancies, NICU stays, or loss

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For further information or to apply, please visit our Get Help pages.

We need YOU

Donate Today

We are proud of what we have accomplished, but the need is far greater than our current capacity. That's where you come in. You can help more families in crisis through your donation to The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation. 100% of your donation goes directly to financially assisting families.

Our Leadership Team

𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐮𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐬 is a mom, storyteller, and advocate. She has three children: Sweet Pea, who was lost to miscarriage; her angel daughter, Colette Louise, who lived for nine days; and her only living child, Elliott Miguel.

A self-described recovering attorney, Michelle graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law in 2006.

She worked in nonprofits representing victims of domestic violence and in family law before earning a master’s degree in nonprofit management, where she met her husband, Mark.

After Colette’s journey, they founded The Colette Louise Tisdahl Foundation to enhance outcomes in pregnancy, childbirth, and infant care. The foundation provides financial aid and advocacy for families facing high-risk pregnancies, NICU challenges, and loss.

As a writer and speaker, Michelle addresses topics like infertility, pregnancy loss, and parenting after loss, aiming to remove stigma and foster conversation. She advocates for maternal and infant health, reflecting her commitment to equal access for all families.

Residing in Glenview, Illinois, Michelle lives with her son Elliott and husband Mark, striving to create a supportive environment for all families.