Maternal Healthcare Access & Education
"You are pregnant and you are powerful. You are bold and you are beautiful. Go forward in your boldness, in your beauty and in your contentedness. Trust your body to birth and know that the collective power of women worldwide will be with you."
-Author Unknown
Bringing a new life into the world should be a very positive and fulfilling experience. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, especially for women living in low income, at-risk communities, where they are more likely to experience heightened levels of stress, fear and anxiety while also facing higher risks of complications, morbidity and even mortality. The maternal mortality rate in the United States is more than twice that of the rest of the developed world, despite spending almost double on health care per capita. Further, Black and Indigenous women are at least three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women in the U.S.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about sixty percent of all pregnancy-related deaths in this country are preventable. Research into the leading causes of deaths, morbidity and pregnancy complications is providing new, evidence-based approaches to improving the quality of care. This underlines the conviction that it is within our power to improve maternal health outcomes and enhance the overall well-being of vulnerable young families in our communities.
The Joseph & Vera Long Foundation seeks to support organizations that work to eliminate health disparities by providing education about, and access to, essential maternal health care services. By providing funding for effective programs and timely contributions for larger capital projects, we aspire to improve birth equity and reproductive healthcare in Northern California and Hawaii.
Grants will be made for:
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Program Costs
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Capacity Building
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Discounted Access to Services
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Capital Improvements
Examples of the types of outreach that we support include (but are not limited to):
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Lactation Support
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Prenatal Care
- Perinatal Mental Health Resources
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Postpartum Care
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Midwifery and Doula Care
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Birth Control and Family Planning
Preference will be given to organizations that emphasize measurable effectiveness and demonstrate a commitment to promoting birth equity.
To submit a request for funding from the Maternal Healthcare Access and Education grant program, please follow the process outlined on the Apply page.