Families are the foundation of our society, and every family deserves the opportunity for a healthy start. But the reality is that stark birth inequities prevent many from a chance at that.

Black birthing people* in the United states are at least 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their White counterparts, and twice as likely to suffer serious pregnancy complications such as hemorrhage, preeclampsia, and heart problems. Native Americans and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders also experience disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity.

Confronted with these unacceptable statistics, philanthropy has an urgent responsibility and opportunity to address the structural factors leading to birth inequities.

There is no singular way to support birth equity. For example, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) focuses on improving the health care delivery system; Tara Health Foundation identifies and supports innovative solutions that improve the health and well-being of women and girls; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) focuses on increasing community power to promote equitable systems change; St. David’s Foundation supports initiatives for, by, and about women of color; and Sierra Health Foundation promotes health, racial equity, and racial justice in partnership with communities.

Since maternal health intersects with so many other areas—such as access to healthy food, economic justice, mental health, and early childhood development—there are countless entry points for funders. Our foundations have approached birth equity in the following ways:

  • Doulas, midwives, and birth centers: Research shows that health outcomes for Black birthing people and babies improve when receiving care from providers of similar cultural backgrounds; yet, there is a shortage of maternal health providers of color.
  • Research and data gathering: To improve care for birthing people of color, we must understand the health care system’s performance in key areas like health outcomes, patient experience, and equity at baseline and be able to track progress over time.
  • Building community power: To create lasting change, we must stand behind the decades of work done by communities most impacted by birth inequities, use our platforms and privilege to amplify their voices, and support them with capacity-building dollars and expertise to expand their work.

Read the full article about Black birth equity by Stephanie Teleki, Tenesha Duncan,  Kindra Montgomery-Block, Lourdes Rodriguez, and Monique Shaw at Grantmakers In Health.