Dear Community,

As we enter the new year, we hope you are finding opportunities to ground yourself. While we acknowledge the challenges before us, we will continue to move toward our shared vision of birth justice, dignity, and well-being for all. This moment calls for deep listening, collective action, and sustained resourcing of community-led solutions. We look forward to learning and moving together in 2026. We’re grateful to be in this work alongside you.

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

 

What’s Happening at FBJE

Monthly Learning Series: Alabama Birth Equity Initiative

JANUARY 22, 2:00 PM ET | ZOOM

Join us for our very first monthly learning series of 2026 with Yellowhammer Fund, an abortion and reproductive justice advocacy organization in the Deep South. Led by Jenice Fountain, they will share tactics and strategies they’ve leaned on in defense of bodily autonomy and birth justice.

The session will explore the necessity of shared power, collective work and solidarity to build infrastructures of care in one of the most hostile states to give birth. For the Alabama Birth Equity Initiative (ABEI), connection is the intervention. It links community wisdom to clinical care, local networks to statewide systems, and immediate needs to structural change. In Alabama, connection must be built intentionally between doulas and doctors, organizers and clinics, data and lived experience. This initiative shows how shared care practices create both healing and accountability. By strengthening the ties between those most impacted and those in positions to respond, ABEI demonstrates that “The Power of Connection” is not just thematic—it’s the framework through which birth equity becomes achievable and sustainable in the Deep South.

 

Working Group: Resourcing Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)

Join our first working group on Resourcing CBOs! Field and funder leaders will work together to activate philanthropy in strengthening and resourcing birth justice infrastructure, leaders, and CBOs.

FBJE Membership Portal Coming Soon

We’re excited to share that the FBJE membership portal is launching this spring! Stay tuned for ways to formally engage, learn, and collaborate with peers across the field.

Have questions or want to learn more? Take the survey here. 

 

Save the Date: FBJE Summit

OCTOBER 13-15 | DETROIT, MI

Mark your calendars 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.

At the Intersections: What’s Happening in the Field

• After 47 years of service, Lifecycle Wellness and Birth Center, the nation’s oldest maternity center has closed, marking a significant loss and underscoring the fragility of maternal healthcare.
• This article highlights the barriers facing freestanding birth centers across the US. Read more on the roles hospitals play in birth center access.
• The US is changing its childhood vaccine schedule. This article highlights how extended paid leave leads to reduced hospitalizations, thus highlighting the importance of broader social policies, such as paid leave, in shaping child health outcomes alongside medical interventions.
• This article highlights how France supports children and families through maternal healthcare and family infrastructure.

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.