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A collective of community doulas started Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC) in Cleveland’s Glenville and Hough neighborhoods in 2014 to reduce infant mortality and improve birth outcomes. And its mission extends beyond prenatal and labor services, providing culturally grounded holistic care like counseling, life goal planning and addressing social determinants of health.
BBC’s doulas become mothers’ trusted allies, advocates and guides on a journey that begins with pregnancy and continues through a baby’s first year, and sometimes beyond.
The organization serves about 700 families annually across Cuyahoga and Summit counties and maintains a 91% full-term birth rate. Its pilot program in Hough, supported by the Cleveland Foundation, changed the trajectory of the neighborhood’s infant mortality rates, which are nearly four times the national average.
“We are working every day in the community and have trained hundreds of doulas across the state to serve more families and ensure that moms and babies are healthy and thriving,” says Jazmin Long, CEO.
Two years ago, BBC became an organizational fund partner of the Cleveland Foundation — a commitment that is advancing its bandwidth and provides administrative support, fundraising tools, investment management and networking opportunities.
The organization is currently engaged in a $15-million capital campaign to build a freestanding community birthing center in Hough.
“We’re planning for the future to make sure we can continue to serve the community,” Long says, noting how the Cleveland Foundation connected BBC to opportunities through its African American Philanthropic Committee, boosting donor support.
“By having an organizational fund with the foundation, we are educating individuals about our organization we otherwise might not reach so they can learn about our goal to fund maternal health services,” Long says. “The foundation is helping us have these conversations, and this is so impactful for an organization like ours.”
The fund gives BBC flexibility to address operational needs such as recruitment, doula training and infrastructure demands. The Cleveland Foundation’s support is helping BBC grow so it can provide wider, deeper care to moms and babies in the community.
Long says, “We are grateful for the partnership, the education and dedication toward ensuring our organization has the sustainability to thrive in the long-term.”
Learn more about organizational funds.