Natural hair care brand Carol’s Daughter announced in April the expansion of financial support for Black doula organizations and care access.
Carol’s Daughter started its Black Maternal Health Initiative, Love Delivered, in 2020. To improve maternal health for Black communities, Love Delivered organized partnerships and programs to increase access to doula care. To commemorate the fourth anniversary of the initiative, Carol’s Daughter partnered with CVS to donate $32,000 in grant funding to the Mama Glow Foundation. The grant will support Black families needing doula services during or post-pregnancy.
As maternal and infant mortality rates continue to be a pressing issue, these non-profit organizations are expanding access to doula services for people of color.
Mama Glow Foundation
This female-founded non-profit organization based in Brooklyn, New York, is committed to improving birthing outcomes for people of color. Latham Thomas founded Mama Glow in 2011 to revolutionize reproductive health services. The organization does this by providing resources, training and support to midwives and doulas. With over 2,500 doulas in their network, the Mama Glow Foundation continuously aims to address the needs of pregnant people. Mama Glow is committed to advancing the healthcare system through education, advocacy and the arts.
Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC)
Birthing Beautiful Communities is a program that serves women whose pregnancies are at high risk for infant death. BBC trains, certifies and hires Perinatal Support Persons to lower high infant mortality rates in Cleveland. After becoming a non-profit in 2017, the organization has impacted the lives of more than 600 pregnant people. More than 75 women are qualified to assist Black families with the necessary tools and education to prevent infant deaths.
Foundation For Black Women’s Wellness
This Wisconsin-based organization was founded in 2012 to support the holistic well-being of Black women, families and communities. The Foundation For Black Women’s Wellness transforms the lives of Black women through educational workshops, events, training and collaborative activities. Their doula partnerships provide individuals with resources before, during and after birth. The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness currently lists 11 doulas on their roster.
Ancient Song
With two offices in Brooklyn, New York and New Jersey, Ancient Song is one of the black doula organizations that aims to ensure low-income Black and Latinx people have high-quality access to holistic doula and reproductive health care services. This national birth justice organization trains and educates doulas and participates in policy advocacy to change reproductive health inequities for people of color. Ancient Song’s core values are community, family, reproductive justice, birth justice, racial justice and individualized care.
The Black Doula Project
The Black Doula Project offers free doula services to Black women during and after each stage of their pregnancy. The non-profit organization initially started as a digital resource that provided educational and helpful materials to support Black women during their pregnancy journey. As founders Stephanie Kimou-Hardy and Erryn Tanner witnessed Black maternal mortality rates continue to rise, they expanded their online movement into something more tangible. The organization distributes financial support through grant applications to cover doula costs for D.C. and Baltimore residents.