As the nation marks the 10th anniversary of Black Maternal Health Week, April 11-17, there is work happening every day in the DMV region to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of African American mothers and birthing people.
To further local efforts combating Black maternal health disparities, Greater Washington Community Foundation and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield partnered to bolster community-based organizations focused on raising awareness and improving outcomes yearlong.
With the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund, nonprofits throughout the D.C. area will receive up to $200,000 over two years to advance work in areas including access to care, mental health support, prenatal and postpartum care, economic stability and policy advocacy.
“These investments represent our commitment to building a maternal health ecosystem that centers the communities most affected by this crisis,” said Tonia Wellons, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation (GWCF), in a statement. “Every one of these organizations is already embedded in the neighborhoods they serve, providing the kind of community-led, culturally responsive solutions that save lives and allow families to thrive.”
Award recipients include:
- Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health
- Community of Hope
- GW Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health
- Healthy Babies Project
- Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center
- Mamatoto Village
- MedStar Health Research Institute
- National Center for Children and Families
- SheRises, Inc.
- Voices for Virginia’s Children
- Whitman-Walker
Many of the organizations, such as Mamatoto Village, have long been dedicated to uplifting Black mothers.
“We offer a variety of services, including perinatal home visiting, community doula care, childbirth education, lactation support, perinatal mental health services, and then also workforce development for future and current maternal health professionals,” Mariah Barnett, chief of staff at Mamatoto Village told WUSA 9 ahead of the organization’s Black Maternal Health Week celebrations.
The funding from the GWCF and CareFirst Bluecross Blueshield partnership will help the organization’s Mothers Rising Home Visitation program, offering visitation services for expectant and postpartum women in the District and Prince George’s County.
“Every birthing parent deserves access to safe, high-quality care. D.C.’s maternal mortality rate is higher than the national average — and that is unacceptable,” said Dr. Bryan O. Buckley, head of public health at CareFirst, in a statement. “Behind every statistic is a person, a family and a community forever changed. Our investment in the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund reflects our commitment to advancing community-led solutions and strengthening a system of care that supports people at every stage of life.”
10 Years Celebrating Black Maternal Health
Black Maternal Health Week, founded in 2016 by Black Mamas Matter Alliance and recognized by the White House in 2021, emphasizes the values and practices of the birth and reproductive justice movements.
A study published in December 2025 found that maternal mortality rates are three times higher in Black and Indigenous mothers than in white mothers.
This year, as Black Mamas Matter Alliance celebrates a decade of the weeklong celebration, the organization is recognizing bravery and freedom fighting, while offering a charge, with the theme: “Rooted in Justice & Joy.”
“This milestone theme reflects the strength and resilience of Black-led perinatal, maternal, and reproductive health organizations that have cultivated change and healing across communities,” Black Mamas Matter Alliance wrote in its 2026 Black Maternal Health Week Toolkit. “It acknowledges the enduring legacies of systemic oppression, reproductive injustices, and health inequities that continue to impact Black Mamas and birthing people; while calling for a liberated future rooted in restoration, justice, and joy.”
In the District, organizations like Mamatoto Village, founded in 2013, are celebrating Black Maternal Health Week with fun programming that not only raises awareness, but emphasizes all people’s roles in fighting disparities, including a 5K at National Harbor on April 11 and soiree on April 18 at The Eaton in Northwest, D.C.
“Our theme is ‘Maternal Health is Everyone’s Business’ because we’re really trying to shift this narrative, that maternal health is a private clinical concern. Really, it’s a shared communal responsibility,” Barnett told WUSA 9 on April 4. “So what we’re doing with our 5K is telling the community, ‘Hey, come out. Speak out for safer births. Speak out for every mom who deserves a beautiful birthing experience, and deserves to come home.’”
Celebrations overall further Mamatoto Village’s work to protect, uplift and empower local Black mothers, while providing others with the information and resources to become advocates for maternal health equity and overall improved outcomes.
“The reason we are so fired up is because 80% of deaths are preventable. If you just consider all social determinants of health, if you really take more than those 20 minutes and really find out what’s going on with our moms and their families, like, all of this could be prevented,” she continued on the local broadcast. “If someone just takes a second to say, ‘I care about you. I really want to help you. I want to listen to you.’ And that’s really what we’re trying to say is ‘listen to us.’”
‘Lasting Change’ Beyond Black Maternal Health Week
Advocates note that systemic racism, leading to health, food and economic disparities, contribute to Black maternal health outcomes.
“Where you live, your income, and your race should never determine whether you survive pregnancy or childbirth,” Dr. Marla Dean, GWCF senior director for Health Equity, said in a statement about the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund. “Yet that’s the reality too many women in our region face. These grants support organizations that are dismantling those barriers every single day.”
Jaylah “JD” Dorman, a 2025 Howard University graduate and clinical research coordinator and medical assistant at a dermatology clinic in North Carolina, said celebrating about Black Maternal Health Week is critical to long term improved outcomes.
“I believe awareness is the key to addressing any issue,” Dorman, who is currently pursuing medical school, told The Informer. “[It’s about] making sure that the women who are devoting their lives to addressing the maternal mortality crisis deserve the spotlight they are getting this week, because the work here is important.”
For the partnering organizations and award recipients alike, The Developing Families Maternal Health Fund, is not only about addressing issues of today, but offer a call to action for the future.
“These investments will support organizations at the scale needed to create real, lasting change,” said Andrea Miano, fund advisor for the Developing Families Maternal Health Fund. “These grants recognize that improving maternal health requires addressing everything from housing stability to mental health support to access to culturally responsive care—not just clinical interventions.”
Washington Informer intern Keith Golden Jr. contributed to this story.