Below are only a few of the organizations the Foundation has invested in! Click on the links provided below to learn how you can further support these projects.
ANTHEM PRECEptor
Through the grant, funds were allocated to compensate a midwife for education and preceptorship with a BIPOC student midwife, addressing financial barriers. The support extended to covering expenses like gas, attendance at prenatal appointments, births, and postpartum visits for the BIPOC student apprentice. Additionally, participation in skills days for BIPOC community midwifery students in the Bay Area involved teaching on topics such as postpartum hemorrhage. Several BIPOC midwifery students benefited from preceptorship, with travel support to a rural site, recognizing the challenges they face in terms of time and money. Notably, the financial aspect of clinical arrangements emerged as a significant obstacle, impacting learning and mental health. Key learnings included the insufficient representation of BIPOC midwives and limited access for BIPOC student midwives. The project shed light on the multitude of barriers these students encounter, from travel costs to childcare expenses and the need for supplies and books. Furthermore, it highlighted CNMA's commitment to actively diversify midwifery and support BIPOC students.
BeLoved Birth
BElovedBIRTH Black Centering is an innovative new group perinatal care program designed to provide care by, for, and with Black people; delivering holistic, culturally attuned and racially concordant care rooted in health equity and birth justice. The midwifery-led, team based model honors and celebrates Black birth and community, while addressing the crisis of racism-based disparities in birth outcomes experienced by Black women and birthing people. It aims to uplift the voices of Black women and provide a “gold package” of care that enables them to thrive in birth and beyond! Learn more about their achievements here.
https://www.alamedahealthsystem.org/FAMILY-BIRTHING-CENTER/BLACK-CENTERING/
BIPOC Aspiring Midwives
CNMF firmly believes in the development of a diverse workforce with individuals from traditionally underserved communities. The elevation of underserved individuals within our profession is key to addressing maternity health in California. In the United States the midwifery workforce is greater than 90 percent white. Founded by Midwife Asmara Gebre, BIPOC Aspiring Midwives works to dramatically shift the demographic in our field in order address the racial & cultural disconcordance in care. BIPOC Aspiring Midwives accomplishes this by providing shadowing opportunities, mentorship, and coaching to prospective BIPOC applicants to CA midwifery programs.
https://bipocaspiringmidwives.com/
Kindred Space LA
CNMF was proud to have provided seed funding to Kindred Space LA’s Birthing Center in December 2020. Kindred Space LA was born in 2018 in response to the black maternity health crisis affecting black birthing people in this country. The LA Times recently featured the founders of Kindred Space LA: Allegra Hill and Kimbery Durden, and
their positive impact on the southern Los Angeles community. To check it out, click here.
their positive impact on the southern Los Angeles community. To check it out, click here.
MidWifery Learning COllaborative
CNMF is a proud funder and supporter of the Midwifery Learning Collaborative.