We partner with organizations whose mission is to improve maternal health for Women of Color in the Nation’s Capital.

We partner with donors willing to invest in innovative programs and initiatives without an overburden of paperwork to apply.

WHO WE ARE
Our organization serves as a voice, a movement, and a valuable resource for community-based organizations working on the forefront of maternal care, advocacy, and education for Women of Color in the District of Columbia.

WHAT WE DO
Our organization accelerates groundbreaking and transformative initiatives by investing in community-based organizations committed to eliminating maternal health disparities and collaboratively building health equity for Black and Brown Women in the District of Columbia.

Our History & Legacy of Service

We have a rich history of improving maternal health through innovative care delivery models. We created the first birth center in Washington, DC, in 2000 for all women, especially Women of Color.

(Collaborating for collective impact)
From our visionary and founder Dr. Ruth Watson Lubic, a leader of the nurse-midwifery movement in the United States and Dr. Linda Randolph, the first executive director of the Developing Families Center to today’s Board of Directors, Officers, and Partners, we have a strong reputation for collaboration with experienced and networked leadership.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

(Partnering with community-based organizations)
Responding to the findings from the community needs assessment, we granted $1.5 million to catalyze community-based organizations on the frontline of maternal care, advocacy, and education for Women of Color in the District of Columbia. We put our resources where they’re needed the most.

PROGRAM RELATED INVESTMENTS

(Bringing a voice to the work)
We advocate and educate to support awareness, knowledge, and action, and we engage to create good connections that help maternal care work. We continue to bring thought leadership to strengthen collective impact from engagement in Safe Babies Safe Moms Strategic Advisory Board to the DC Perinatal Quality Collaborative and related education and maternal health advocacy programs.

ADVOCACY

Black Women account for 90% of all pregnancy-related deaths in DC despite only accounting for roughly half of all births. This really speaks to the disparities that we see in the Maternal Health landscape.
—Dr. Amita Vyas PhD, MHS, George Washington University

We transform groundbreaking concepts into actionable programs for maternal health.

Officer

Ruth F. Pollard, MS, MBA
Executive Director

Founder

Dr. Ruth Lubic, CNM, EdD, FAAN, FACNM

Our Board Members

Andrea Miano, JD
Chair

Patricia Donovan
Secretary

Lance Slaughter
Treasurer

Maria C. Johnson, CNM, MS, FACNM

Jay W. Klug, MBA