2019 Impact Report
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Every Mother Counts was born from the recognition that not all childbearing people enjoy the same access and privilege when it comes to maternity care. We understand that racial, social and geopolitical inequalities fuel maternal health disparities around the world. Which is why we worked harder than ever in 2019 to advance birth justice...

... a vision of reality in which pregnancy and childbirth is safe, respectful and equitable for all.
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Here's the problem. Right now, around the world, nearly 300,000 women die from complications due to pregnancy and childbirth every year.
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That’s 1 woman every 2 minutes.

In the United States, over the past two decades, maternal mortality rates have doubled.
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For the first time ever, a woman is twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than her mother was a generation ago.

The U.S. is only one of two countries in the world with a rising maternal mortality rate. And for Black, Brown and Indigenous people, the problem is even more dire.

Black and Indigenous women are two to three times more likely than white women to die from complications of pregnancy and birth, and are more likely to experience near misses or severe complications.

We don't accept this.

Over the past decade, we have invested more than $17 million through 108 grants that support proven models of care across Bangladesh, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Mexico, Nepal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United States.

2019 was a transformative year.

We deployed $1.16 million in grants to 19 partners across 8 countries.
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Bangladesh

  • HOPE Foundation for Women and Children of Bangladesh

Guatemala‍

  • Asociación Corazón del Agua
  • Asociación de Comadronas del Area Mam (ACAM)

Haiti

  • Foundation for Advancement of Haitian Midwives (FAHM)
  • Midwives for Haiti
  • We Care Solar

India
Nazdeek

Indonesia
Bumi Sehat

Mexico
Global Response Management

Tanzania‍

  • Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME)
  • Maasai Women Development Organization (MWEDO)

United States

  • Ancient Song Doula Services
  • Changing Woman Initiative
  • Commonsense Childbirth
  • Community for Children
  • SisterWeb
  • Sueños Sin Fronteras de Tejas
  • Tewa Women United
  • Village Birth International

We screened films, presented at conferences, and ran races to raise awareness.
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+6 million

people viewed our films and videos

+30

talks across the U.S. and around the world

8

international marathons ran

TeamEMC waiting to greet final marathon finishers at the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Tanzania.

Thanks to our community of donors, advocates, sponsors, athletes and partners, we raised $4.3 million dollars through:

4200

independent fundraisers

68

product partnerships

10

events

5

online campaigns

As a result, we impacted 32,854 individuals.
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31,395

women receiving skilled reproductive and maternal health care services

7,792
women transported
to a health facility for prenatal, childbirth or postpartum care

4,776
births with a skilled birth attendant

1,459

individuals completing a health-related training

When it comes to having an impact, transformative change is more than just numbers. Here's what we mean.

We are investing in organizations based in the communities where they work to expand access to safe, compassionate maternity care solutions that improve maternal health outcomes.

Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME)

Last year, we supported FAME’s opening of a new 24-bed Maternity Center, with an operating room, four delivery rooms and a Level 2 nursery, in rural Tanzania.

Asociación de Comadronas del Area Mam (ACAM)

We enabled ACAM to expand their mobile clinic care and local midwifery trainings to reach more Indigenous mothers in rural Guatemala.

Asylum Seekers in South Texas

We provided emergency funding to three organizations in South Texas to provide showers, baby care essentials and prenatal support to asylum-seeking women and families along the U.S.-Mexico border.

We are building the maternity care workforce by enhancing our partners’ capacity to equip their care providers with the training, resources and professional development opportunities they need to do their best work, practice at the top of their professions and deliver the highest attainable quality of care.

Midwives for Haiti

In 2019, Midwives for Haiti graduated their 10th class of midwives to continue filling the country’s critical shortage of birth workers. MFH graduates now compose nearly 30 percent of the country’s total skilled providers.

Asociación Corazón del Agua

Asociación Corazón del Agua, Guatemala’s first professional university-level midwifery degree program, graduated their second class of professional midwives and began their third cohort.

HOPE Foundation for Women and Children of Bangladesh

HOPE held the first-ever national midwifery conference in Bangladesh, attended by government agencies, representatives from the United Nations, and midwives and students from around the country.

When childbearing people are empowered to have a say in their care and feel that they are listened to every step of the way, amazing things happen. We are committed to ensuring individuals and families have the knowledge to make informed decisions about their pregnancies and giving birth.

What Women Want

We participated in the global “What Women Want” survey, a collective effort led by the White Ribbon Alliance to ask more than one million women and girls worldwide about their top priority for quality maternal and reproductive healthcare services. Their number one request was for respectful and dignified care.

Giving Voice to Mothers

We collaborated with thought leaders, practitioners, and community partners on the groundbreaking Giving Voice to Mothers study, the largest study to examine mistreatment during pregnancy and childbirth in the U.S., allowing us to begin to quantify and analyze lived experiences of mistreatment and disrespectful care.

We are working to advance legislation that protects the wellbeing of childbearing people and upholds the basic human right to equitable health care.

Impacting U.S. Policy

Last year, we helped shape, introduce or advance dozens of federal and state bills and policies to hold U.S. health systems, institutions, companies and the government accountable to the individuals, families and communities they serve, including:

  • S. 116 MOMS Act
  • H.R. 1551 / S. 1960 Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act
  • S. 916 / H.R. 1897 MOMMA’s Act
  • S. 1343 MOMMIES Act
  • H.R. 2602 Healthy MOMMIES Act
  • S. 1600 / H.R. 2902 Maternal CARE Act
  • S. 1895 Lower Health Care Costs Act
  • H.R. 3849 Midwives for MOMS Act
  • S. 2373 / H.R. 4243 Rural MOMS Act
  • H.R. 4768 Act Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity
  • H.R. 4995 Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act
  • H.R. 4996 Helping MOMS Act
  • H.R. 5189 BABIES Act
  • Res. 735 Native Women’s Maternal Health Resolution

Black Maternal Health Caucus

We joined Congresswomen Alma Adams and Lauren Underwood, maternal health organizations and government leaders in Washington D.C. for the first Black Maternal Health Caucus stakeholder summit to ensure the establishment of Black Maternal Health as a national priority.

Mom Congress

We co-hosted a Congressional briefing, spoke alongside the First Lady of New Jersey on the most pressing maternal health issues in the U.S., and joined leaders and legislators at the 2019 Mom Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

We believe that educating the public, sharing stories and uplifting the voices of our partners is just as critical as our grantmaking.

We premiered Endomononi, a new film about traditional Maasai midwives in rural Tanzania, at the Women Deliver conference.

WATCH FILM

We released Giving Birth in America: New Mexico, the 6th installment of our Giving Birth in America docuseries, on CNN in November in anticipation of the Native Women’s Maternal Health Resolution being introduced in Congress.

WATCH FILM

We collaborated with MTV and Black Mamas Matter Alliance on Save Our Moms, a public service awareness campaign that raised awareness about the Black maternal health crisis in the U.S. and provided resources to an audience of more than six million people.

Learn more

Conferences and Screenings

We facilitated conversations featuring our partners at conferences across the United States, from Austin’s South by Southwest to Louisiana’s inaugural Maternal Mortality Summit, as well as the annual American Public Health Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meetings.

We are committed to finding new and more equitable ways of working together with community-based organizations that share our commitment to birth justice, combatting inequities and addressing the intersectional needs of historically-marginalized communities.

Advancing Birth Justice

We joined forces with Ancient Song Doula Services and Village Birth International to create Advancing Birth Justice, a report that made the case for expanding Medicaid coverage to include community-based doula support—a highly effective and culturally-appropriate solution—for meeting the needs of childbearing people with compassion and equity.

Partner Survey

We deepened our listening, conducting an in-depth, follow-up survey with our global partners to strengthen trust and better understand their needs and opportunities.

World Justice Challenge
Our partner Nazdeek won a World Justice Challenge award for its work with marginalized communities of tea workers in Asaam, India, the largest tea-growing region in the world and the state with the highest maternal mortality rate in India.

Aspen-Aetna Fellowship
Two of our partners—Jennie Joseph of Commonsense Childbirth and Nicolle Gonzales of Changing Woman Initiative—were selected to participate in an inaugural, year-long Aspen-Aetna Foundation Healthy Communities Fellowship designed to strengthen their voices as experts in the field of social determinants of health.

We’ve learned in our near-decade of existence that changing how the world values childbirth and motherhood isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.

Which is why we are increasing our investments to make an even bigger impact where it's needed most by:

U.S. Grants

Global Grants

U.S. Grants

Global Grants

Innovating
new high-impact, low-cost solutions.

Expanding
comprehensive and culturally- appropriate support services to more people.

Demanding
more meaningful change from leaders.

Engaging
as many individuals, leaders and strategic partners as possible.

Because we know if we are going to achieve quality, respectful and equitable maternity care for every mother, everywhere, this work will take all of us.

Thank You.

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more info

Financials*
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2019 Focus Areas*

$3,624,950

Grant Giving $1,164,059

Community Engagement $814,670

Public Education $801,226

G&A $587,993

Fundraising $257,002

*2019 Ending Net Assets: $5.1M

2019 Sources of Funding

$4,430,798

Individuals $2,425,623

Corporate & Product Partnerships $830,951

Institutional Foundations $787,882

Investments/Other Income $265,021

In-Kind Donations $121,321

*2019 audited financials

Our deepest gratitude to our donors who share our vision of birth justice and sustain our work.
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  • Board
  • Liz Robinson (Board Chair)
  • Heather Armstrong
  • Leslie Blodgett
  • Christy Turlington Burns
  • Allison Gollust
  • Christiane Lemieux
  • Hilani Kerr
  • Sharmila Makhija
  • Mariam Naficy

  • Founder’s Circle
  • Pam Baer
  • Brenda Battista
  • Melissa Berger
  • Adrienne Bosh
  • Orla Coleman
  • Tiffanie DeBartolo
  • Molly Farley
  • Heidi Flagg
  • Stephanie Freid-Perenchio
  • Anick Guira
  • Jennifer Haythe
  • Maca Huneeus
  • Michelle Jassem
  • Patricia Herrera Lansing
  • Leigh Sherwood Matthes
  • Gina Peterson
  • Isabel Rose
  • Jill Vedder
  • Alexandra Wells
  • Clare Vivier

  • Ambassadors
  • Ayehsa Akhtar
  • Amy Alderfer
  • Chelsea Beauford
  • Roni Belcheva
  • Steve Biggs
  • Ashley Bouldin
  • Malena Capion
  • Emily Carder
  • Donna Castelblanco
  • Allison Cebulla
  • Hillary Chu
  • Jessica Clarke
  • Georgia Alexandra Davis
  • Michelle DelMonico
  • Kristen Garzone
  • Cate Gaynor
  • Kelly Hubbard
  • Alicia Joines
  • Lydia Keegan
  • Kayla Keigley
  • Kristen Kirkland
  • Christine Koenitzer
  • Elizabeth Lane
  • Kiley Larson
  • Julie Lulek
  • Lulu Martinez
  • Teresa Martingale
  • Rachel Meakins
  • Stephanie Millar
  • Lauren Miller
  • Annie Murray
  • SaSadi Odundi
  • Fola Onifade
  • Kristina Pinto
  • Gloria Pitagorsky
  • Kristina Powell
  • Esther Reyes
  • Krista Rider
  • Sandra Rodriguez
  • Aliisa Rosenthal
  • Traci Terry
  • Lauren Theurkauf
  • Miranda Toledo
  • Roma Van Der Walt
  • Kelly Vigil
  • Kari Wheeler
  • Caitlin Young
  • Emily Zimmerman

  • Corporate and Institutional Supporters

  • $100K+
  • Bank of America Merrill Lynch
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies
  • INDITEX
  • Minted

  • $50K to <$100K
  • Anthropologie
  • Boedecker Foundation
  • Ford Foundation
  • Maybelline
  • The Rockefeller Foundation
  • The ShineMaker Foundation

  • $20K to <$50K
  • Beautycounter
  • Brides for a Cause
  • Citizens of Humanity
  • Clare V.
  • Farmgirl Flowers
  • Rylee and Cru
  • Select Equity Group Foundation
  • Vintner’s Daughter

  • $15K to <$20K
  • CIT Bank
  • Kaiser Family Foundation
  • Merck for Mothers

  • $10K to <$15K
  • glassybaby
  • Hazel Village
  • Joanna Czech
  • Onia
  • ROYL

  • $5K to <$10K
  • Ash + Ames
  • Augustinus Bader
  • Baked by Melissa
  • Cult Gaia
  • Merck
  • Montefiore Medical Center

  • Other Supporters
  • Billie
  • Lutz Morris

  • Individuals

  • $100K+
  • Leslie & Keith Blodgett
  • Vitalogy Foundation

  • $50K to <$100K
  • Jennifer & Mark Styslinger

  • $20K to <$50K
  • Lisa Anderson
  • Melissa & Daniel Berger
  • Alexandra Brookshire
  • Orla Coleman & Rikki Tahta
  • Maca & Agustin Huneeus
  • Hilani & Neville Kerr
  • Elizabeth & Gardner Lane
  • Maria McManus & Mark Gibson
  • Ana Meier & Daniel Creighton
  • Fernanda Nogueira
  • Gina & Stuart Peterson
  • Allie Pohlad & Robbie Phillips
  • Isabel Rose & Jeff Fagen
  • Stadler Family Charitable Foundation, Inc.

  • $15K to <$20K
  • Amira & Dean Amro
  • Molly & Tom Farley
  • Anick & Alex Guira
  • Estate of Jennie Moehlmann
  • Janet Middleton Montag & Tom Montag
  • Liz & Samuel Robinson
  • Andy Seig
  • Adrian Stroie

  • $10K to <$15K
  • Pam & Larry Baer
  • Baker Hughes Foundation
  • Brenda & Rich Battista
  • Vanessa & Henry Cornell
  • Katy Brodsky Falco & Simone Falco
  • Vivien Wang Gossard & Stone Gossard
  • Abigail Johnson & Christopher McKown
  • Karlie Kloss & Josh Kushner
  • Patricia Herrera Lansing & Gerrity Lansing
  • Christiane Lemieux
  • Caroline Linder
  • Leigh Sherwood Matthes & Bill Matthes
  • Lillian & Lawrence Beshel
  • Mariam Naficy & Michael Mader
  • Stephanie Freid-Perenchio & John Perenchio
  • Eva Marie & William Price
  • The Sarah and Daniel Rueven Foundation
  • Wunderkinder Foundation

  • $5K to <$10K
  • Vivian Acebal
  • Bruce Beal
  • Cass & Ali Bird
  • Jay Blahnik & Ryan Kriz
  • Brandi Carlile & Catherine Shepherd
  • Alexa Chae
  • Jeannine Christofilis
  • Amy Corso
  • Carol Davis
  • Patricia Dubroff
  • Douglas Durkin
  • Michael Faloon
  • Tom Freston
  • The Philip and Irene Toll Gage Foundation
  • Leaves of Grass Fund
  • Amy Griffin
  • Nathan Gunn
  • Pamela Hanson & Jaime Frankfurt
  • Carey Moreno-Hunt
  • Michelle & Corey Jassem
  • Kathryn Kamm
  • Ellis Lindsey
  • Trish Maharam
  • Marweld Family Charitable Fund
  • Mary Kay McCaw
  • Julia McKown
  • Keith Meister
  • Nicholas Millhiser
  • Tracy Morgan
  • Ann & Kevin Morrison
  • Jared Padalecki
  • Lisa Stone Pritzker
  • Courtney Grace Peterson
  • Joanne Ramos
  • Katie Smith Roberts & John Roberts
  • Ashley & Andrew Stewart
  • Andrea Smith
  • The Three Sisters Foundation
  • Thrill Hill Foundation
  • Sue & David Viniar
  • Alexandra & Spencer Wells
  • Amy Williams
  • William Wynne
  • Emily Zimmerman

  • Host Committees

  • MPOWER
  • Pam Baer
  • Melissa Berger
  • Orla Coleman
  • Molly Farley
  • Anick Guira
  • Michelle Jassem
  • Patricia Herrera Lansing
  • Leigh Sherwood Matthes
  • Stephanie Freid-Perenchio
  • Gina Peterson
  • Liz Robinson
  • Isabel Rose
  • Alexandra Wells

  • LOVEEMC
  • Ali & Cass Bird
  • Derek Blasberg & Nick Brown
  • Rachel & Neil Blumenthal
  • Laura Brown & Brandon Borror-Chappell
  • Jordan Hewson & Diego Osorio
  • Brett & Gregory Heyman
  • Meika Hollender & Stephen Oshman
  • Lisa Barnett & Ankur Jain
  • Sophie & Matt Kliegman
  • Karlie Kloss & Joshua Kushner
  • Rebekah & Colin McCabe
  • Maria McManus & Mark Gibson
  • Candice & Brandon Miller
  • Anna Speckhart & Carlos Quirarte
  • Megan Meagher Traphagen & Judson Traphagen
  • Danielle & Brad Walish
  • Gucci Westman & David Neville
  • Joey Wölffer & Max Rohn

  • In-Kind Donors
  • Amala Beauty
  • Anthropologie
  • Augustinus Bader
  • Casa Dragones
  • Chicago Cubs
  • Citizens of Humanity
  • Clare V.
  • COH x Leaves and Flowers
  • Orla Coleman
  • Dock-a-Tot
  • The Dutch
  • Erika Bloom Pilates
  • Molly & Tom Farley
  • Frenchette
  • Gabbie Reade
  • Good Day Pilates
  • Hamilton Place Strategies
  • Honeybrains
  • The Inside
  • Jars by Dani
  • Joanna Czech
  • Ken Fulk, Inc.
  • Lafayette
  • Adam Lippes
  • Locanda Verde
  • Luxe & Product DBA Matter
  • Madri Collection
  • Caroline Meagher
  • Microsoft Software
  • Minted
  • MIRROR
  • MK by Hamptons Aristocrat
  • Elizabeth Monson
  • Montauk Brewing Company
  • Motherly Love
  • The Peninsula
  • Rahua
  • Lee Rhodes & Peter Seligmann
  • Sag Harbor Florists
  • Will Sahlman
  • Scarborough & Tweed
  • The Smile
  • The Spaninard
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • Tracy Anderson
  • Uchū
  • Ulla Johnson Inc
  • Vinegar Hill House
  • Violet Grey
  • The Wren
  • The WELL
  • Wölffer Estate Vineyard, Inc.
  • Zacapa
  • Zero + Maria Cornejo

  • Film Credits

  • Giving Birth in America: New Mexico
  • Director/Producer: Clancy McCarty
  • Executive Producer: Christy Turlington Burns
  • Director of Photography and Co-Producer: Nicole Mackinlay Hahn
  • Editor: Danya Abt
  • Sound Recordist: Lindsey Cordero and Denielle Rose
  • Aerial Cinematography / Still Photography: Tomás Karmelo Amaya
  • Graphics: Seth Brau
  • Online Edit and Color Grade: Zachary Halberd
  • Sound Mix: Tom Gambale
  • Music: John Fredericks
  • Music: Blue Rose Revival

  • Endomononi (With Mother)
  • Director/Producer: Clancy McCarty
  • Executive Producer: Christy Turlington Burns
  • Director of Photography: Nicole Mackinlay Hahn
  • Editor: Danya Abt
  • Music: John Fredericks

  • Photography Credits
  • Tomás Karmelo Amaya
  • Jennifer Burns
  • Janet Jarman
  • Jhpiego
  • Clancy McCarty
  • Midwifery Society of Nepal (MIDSON)
  • Viviane Sassen
  • Fatima Shahryar/White Ribbon Alliance Pakistan