Chicago Beyond’s Fellowship for Black Maternal Health is a groundbreaking $2 million dollar initiative designed to accelerate the impact of leaders driving transformative change in maternal healthcare. The Fellowship provides unprecedented catalytic grants and support to a cohort of four distinctive maternal health leaders across the United States.
Executive Director, Southern Birth Justice Network – Miami, FL
A licensed midwife and activist, Jamarah Amani has spent over 15 years addressing Black maternal and infant mortality through a birth justice and reproductive justice lens. As Executive Director of Southern Birth Justice Network, she advocates for community-led maternal care, midwifery and doula access, and public health solutions based in human rights.
Founder, Sacred Birthing Village – New Bedford, MA
Soraya is leading a transformative movement in New Bedford, MA, through Sacred Birthing Village, reclaiming birth as a sacred rite rather than a crisis to manage. Rooted in Indigenous and ancestral traditions, her work restores community power, intergenerational healing, and the liberatory wisdom of midwifery-based care.
Founder, The Lotus Program Experience – Knoxville, TN
Drawing on her diverse experiences as an urban farmer, social worker, and chef preparing medically tailored meals, Femeika Elliott’s work sits at the intersection of food, reproductive health, maternal health, herbalism, and regenerative medicine. Femeika’s work addresses the maternal health crisis in East Knoxville and rural Tennessee.
Founder, Bloom Maternal Health – Houston, TX
A board-certified family nurse practitioner, lactation consultant, and perinatal mental health provider, Nikki Hunter-Greenaway founded Bloom Maternal Health to provide Black parents with accessible, barrier-free maternal care. Through her innovative approach and collaboration with top institutions, she is strengthening maternal health by prioritizing community-driven solutions and proactive care.
$500,000 in unrestricted funding over 3 years
Opportunities to connect, provide mutual support, and foster leadership growth through regular community gathering experiences
Through collaboration, connection, and joint amplification, Fellows’ work will be further positioned to advance structural change
Recognizing the critical need to address the alarming disparities, Chicago Beyond publicly committed to the Fellowship at the 2023 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, pledging $2 million dollars to illuminate and support the work of distinctive leaders who have firsthand experience within the field. Each Fellow will receive a $500,000 unrestricted award over three years, along with curated programming to connect Fellows and further support their leadership.
April 9, 2025
Four fellows to receive $500,000 in unrestricted grants to transform maternal healthcare Today, Chicago Beyond, a national philanthropic organization tha
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March 14, 2024
Chicago Beyond, a philanthropic organization that addresses systemic inequity by exponentially increasing the impact of community-backed solutions, today a
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September 19, 2023
Today, Chicago Beyond, a philanthropic organization that works to ensure all young people and community members are free to live full lives, unveiled it wi
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Making catalytic investments to increase the impact of solutions led by those closest to the issues
Leading national initiatives in partnership with diverse changemakers to challenge and reshape the status quo
Sharing insights to disrupt and reimagine “systems as usual” and drive equitable funding, practices, and policies