The goal of Maternal Mental Health NOW’s Black Birthworkers Community is to build capacity, create community, and provide support to Black birth workers in order to improve access to holistic, culturally appropriate perinatal mental health care for Los Angeles County’s Black birthing population.  Under the leadership of a 12-person Advisory Committee, the Black Birthworkers Community organizes events and iniatives that provide opportunities for care, celebration, support and connection between members of the Black workforce serving LA’s Black birthing community.  

The LA County Black Birthworkers Enrichment Fund is offered in hopes of improving the well-being and birth outcomes of the Black birthing community by caring for those who care for them.  Funding is available to support Black Birthworkers at three levels:

Training and Education – up to $600 Aims to further recipient’s knowledge and skills related to their service as a birth worker including costs associated with new certification, continuing education units to maintain an existing certification, conference registrations, other educational opportunities, etc.

Personal –  up to $300  Aims to support recipient’s ability to provide high quality care to Black birthing people, including costs associated with emergency childcare, transportation, food, equipment, ergonomic chair/desk for work from home, etc.

Self-care –  up to $100 Aims to support recipient’s health and emotional wellness through self-care, including costs associated with a spa day, therapy session, personal day off work, supplements/vitamins, etc.

In the first application cycle, this fund will be piloted to individuals who have registered for at least one of the following BBW events: 2021 LA County Perinatal Mental Health Conference for Black Birth Workers, Clinicians & Providers (May 2021) or either of the LA County Black Birth Workers Networking Socials (November 2022 & August 2023).

To qualify, applicants must be a Black birth worker currently and actively (or aspiring to) serving Black birthing people in Los Angeles, submit an application by Monday, October 16, 2023 at 11:59pm PT, and provide corresponding documentation within 30 days of enrichment fund recipient notification. The term birth worker is used broadly and is inclusive of doulas, clinicians, physicians, lactation educators and consultants, holistic healers, nurses, and more.

To apply, click here. For more information, please view the  FAQ here.

For questions, concerns, or feedback please e-mail us bbw_fund@maternalmentalhealthnow.org.