the birth trust
2015 annual report

To increase access to midwifery care and to strengthen the collective impact of organizations promoting evidence-based maternity care in North America.

Over the last ten years, as key midwifery organizations have created new coalitions and strategies to increase their impact, FAM has worked to strengthen the infrastructure and to support the professionalization of the midwifery movement.  This requires far more resources than FAM has had to date. For this reason, FAM is working hard to identify other partners to invest in midwifery and midwifery-related organizations.
And, of course, we engage in fundraising from individuals and organizations for the money we grant to projects. Our biggest grant recipient continues to be the MANA Division of Research.  Their grants consistently rank highest among the Birth Trustees voting.  FAM also funds other MANA projects, various AMO grants, Home Birth Summit Collaborative initiatives, and seedling grants.

Historically, midwives have been FAM’s strongest supporters.  But midwives cannot fund this change alone. FAM works hard to reach midwifery  consumers the very people most likely to know the benefits of midwifery care and to support it.  With greater resources imagine the change we could make in quality care for childbearing families.  Please visit our table during the convention to find out ways you can become involved, and if you are not a Birth Trustee, please sign up!

Come meet our new Executive Director, Tamara Wrenn who has served on the FAM board since January 2011. She is a maternal and child health consultant and President of the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York and enjoys teaching Zumba.

#StandForBetterBirth

FAM is launching a new social media campaign to raise consumer awareness about the need for increased access to midwifery care. Please support this critical work. We are asking everyone to take #shoeselfiesformidwives as they #standforbetterbirth and share with their Instagram and Facebook followers. Come to our table for more information.

2015 Birth Trust Grants

FAM makes grants in four key areas to improve access to midwifery care: public policy, public education, research, and birth equity.

Birth Trust Grantees 2015

The Midwives Alliance of North America $18,500

Moving beyond the data collection silo: 
Accelerating MANA Stats data analysis and publication

The Midwives Alliance of North America $5,000

Archive Critical Documents and Record History of the MANA DOR

The Midwives Alliance of North America $5,000

Public Education for Greater Collaborative Engagement

The MAMA Campaign $4,000

For lobbying expertise to pass H.R. 1976, the Access to Certified Professional Midwives Act of 2013.

The MAMA Campaign $4,000

For lobbying expertise to pass H.R. 1976, the Access to Certified Professional Midwives Act of 2013.

Midwifery Education Accreditation Council $3,000

To Addressing identified barriers to accreditation of midwifery schools

Uzazi Village $4,000

Uzazi Academie, and community based model for those least able to access midwifery education

Homebirth Summit 
Consumer Engagement & Research and Data Task Forces $4,350

Supporting the Participation in Listening to Home Birth Mothers and Listening to Mothers of Color surveys

Homebirth Summit Research and Data Task Force $4,000

Mapping Access to High Quality Maternity Care Across Birth Settings

Ancient Song Doula Services $3,500

To provide nutritional counseling to pregnant women in at-risk neighborhoods in Brooklyn, NY

Birth Trust Grantees 2014

The Midwives Alliance of North America $5,000

To validate and publish the 4.0 MANA Stats data set

The Midwives Alliance of North America $10,000

To support the operations and expansion of the MANA Stats data collection

The Midwives Alliance of North America $5,000

To build capacity for MANA’s Public Education & Communications Program

The MAMA Campaign $5,000

For lobbying expertise to pass H.R. 1976, the Access to Certified Professional Midwives Act of 2013.

Midwifery Education Accreditation Council $4,000

To answer consumer demand for CPMs by addressing barriers to midwifery program accreditation

Mamatoto Village $4,000

To broaden the community birth worker training program curriculum

Homebirth Summit Collaboration Task Force $5,000

To disseminate the Best Practice Guidelines: Transfer from Planned Home Birth to Hospital

Homebirth Summit Regulation and Licensure Task Force $4,000

To create a web repository on midwifery education, competencies, and scope of practice for policy makers.

FAM uses a unique model of grant making called the Birth Trust, for donors most dedicated to the cause of improving birth for women and babies. The board presents a prescreened docket of projects, and the Birth Trustees select the projects that receive funding. FAM believes that the vision and strategy to advance maternity care should be a collective process shared among as many stakeholder groups as possible.

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