In early 2021, St. David’s Foundation awarded $1.8 million to 12 projects supporting programs aimed at reducing maternal mortality, improving mental health, facilitating health insurance coverage, advancing access to family planning and reproductive care, and initiating breastfeeding—projects that will transform our region of Central Texas into a Perinatal Safe Zone. The work of this initiative recognizes, listens to, and centers women of color who disproportionately experience poor maternal health outcomes. This effort reflects our foundation’s journey over the past few years, carried forward by a team of women leaders committed to reimagining the way we work and how we show up within the communities we serve.

The vision and strategy for this work emerged in 2016  and included multiple convenings, listening sessions, and one-on-one meetings with women leaders in Central Texas. One of those convenings featured the work of Jennie Joseph, who leads the National Perinatal Task Force (NPTF). Jennie and the NPTF team coined the term Materno-Toxic Areas (any area where it feels unsafe to be pregnant, breastfeeding, or parenting), and developed their signature Perinatal Safe Spots.

The work of the NPTF inspired an idea: if we work together to increase the number of perinatal safe spots in our region, igniters, contributors, and allies to maternal health can collectively eliminate materno-toxic areas. We started small. In 2017, St. David’s Foundation issued a request for proposal (RFP), Focus on the Fourth, which prioritized the postpartum period, or the “fourth trimester.” For many organizations, particularly those led by women of color in Central Texas, this call for proposals served as the first opportunity to apply for funding from St. David’s Foundation. Prior to this, organizations needed an invitation to apply, creating an unintentional barrier for organizations that did not have direct relationships with program officers.

As a result, awards for the Focus on the Fourth initiative went to new organizations and supported project types the foundation had not previously funded.  One grantee, Mama Sana Vibrant Woman, instituted a structured postpartum program with home visiting, support groups, and yoga for moms of color. Another grantee, Hand to Hold, diversified its peer mentor base and board of directors, conducted focus groups with neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) mothers of color to inform programming, and developed marketing campaigns that resonated with this population.

Read the full article about birth equity by Lourdes J. Rodríguez at Grantmakers In Health.