Dear FBJE Community,

Spring is finally here and this month, we’re sitting with what comes next. Not just seasonally, but structurally. Culturally. In our bodies, our communities, and our institutions.

We are living through a moment of profound upheaval. And yet, if history teaches us anything, it is that the most enduring transformations are born from moments exactly like this one. From the grassroots reproductive health movements across Latin America and Africa in the 1970s and 80s, to Indigenous communities reclaiming birth on their own terms, the building happened despite the conditions.

Philanthropy has a particular role to play right now, not just to sustain what exists, but to resource what comes next. Birth workers, doulas, midwives, and community health advocates have long held the wisdom that institutions are only now catching up to.

Last month, we heard from Bootheel Families and Generate Health about how ten plus years of funding led to improved maternal and child health outcomes in addition to deeper community engagement and shared stewardship of resources. This month, we will hear from the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice on how strategic partnerships have created stronger care infrastructure for Black families. When CBOs, birth workers, and funders work together, we have the opportunity to not only improve outcomes for all families but to weave together the infrastructure that supports societal wellbeing.

As always, thank you for being a part of this community. We invite you to forward this newsletter to your colleagues.

In community,
Nakeenya Wilson + Kyndall Osibodu
Co-Directors, Funders for Birth Justice and Equity

 

What’s Happening at FBJE

Shape the Future of Birth Justice

Stay tuned for the launch of our new partnership portal, coming later this month! Join FBJE and a community of funders, birth workers and allies advancing birth justice and equity. As an FBJE Funder Partner, you’ll learn alongside movement leaders, connect with like-minded peers, and amplify your impact.

Join Us for our April Monthly Learning Series featuring California Coalition for Black Birth Justice

THURSDAY, APRIL 16 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT | ZOOM

Join us for an overview of the California Coalition for Black Birth Justice and their efforts to unify and strengthen the Black birth justice movement in California. Drawing on insights from their recently released report, The State of Black Birth Equity in California, a statewide landscape analysis, they will highlight key trends, gaps, and opportunities shaping the field, particularly in California. They will share their vision for emerging opportunities, and how strategic partnership and investment can help scale Black-led solutions that drive lasting change. Register here. 

March Monthly Learning Series Recap

Thank you for joining the March Monthly Learning Series, featuring Rose Anderson-Rice from Generate Health and Sara Pierce from Bootheel Babies and Families. Rose shared how Generate Health centered Black community leadership in St. Louis, creating a Community Leaders Cabinet and implementing participatory grant-making processes that resulted in over $2 million in community-informed funding and significant systems changes. Sarah detailed their work in the Bootheel region of Missouri, which achieved a 42.7% decrease in infant mortality rates, through health equity training and collaborative partnerships. Both presenters emphasized the critical importance of long-term funding commitments, 10 years rather than typical 2-3 year grants, in building trust and enabling meaningful community engagement and systems change.

 

Save the Date: FBJE Summit

OCTOBER 20-22 | DETROIT, MI

Mark your calendars and the new dates for FBJE’s upcoming summit this fall! We look forward to gathering together to deepen relationships, access community care, and strengthen the birth justice funding ecosystem. Registration opens soon.

At the Intersections: What’s Happening in the Field

• A new ProPublica investigation reveals that Florida courts have ordered several Black women to undergo C-sections against their explicit wishes. As fetal personhood legislation advances in the state, legal experts warn that birthing people’s rights to bodily autonomy may face even greater erosion.
• Olivia Walton, founder of Ingeborg Initiatives, has published a call to action outlining a state-led strategy to cut U.S. maternal mortality in half within five years, including the launch of a National Maternal Health Fund providing matching grants to states ready to implement evidence-based reforms.
• Be Ready by 5 is a collaborative initiative in Montgomery County, Ohio bringing together organizations committed to supporting families with children ages 0–5 in preparation for kindergarten and beyond, centering education, health, and wellness in the earliest years of life.
• NYC Mayor Mamdani has announced a $20 million investment in the Strong Foundations initiative, expanding the Nurse-Family Partnership to reach more families, growing the perinatal and early childhood mental health workforce, and ensuring that New Yorkers facing structural barriers to care have support from the very start of their child’s life.

 

Do you have research, an initiative, or a funding opportunity you’d like us to uplift? We invite you to share updates and opportunities for collective learning here.