COVID-19 Philadelphia Birth Fund

UPDATE: We have formed a board and are working towards our 501c3 status. While PBF is completely volunteer run (every penny has gone to midwives to serve parents of color- the last person granted was 9/2021 when our funds were brought down to zero) it has become clear we need to raise funds for paperwork and tax advice so we can continue with grantmaking. After doing everything we can to reduce any costs, we need to raise $4200 so we can move ahead with becoming a nonprofit charitable organization. Every penny raised after that amount will go towards funding new clients. We hope to be back grantmaking by Fall 2022- the sooner we can reach our goal of $4200 the sooner we can continue funding births! Please help us reach our goal!  Thank you- PBF volunteers




Our goal is to provide access to high quality, midwifery care for 20 expecting parents in 2020 who otherwise would be unable to afford this critical care. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many expecting families are deciding to give birth at home to limit exposure to the virus. In PA, these services are not covered by insurance, making homebirth not accessible to many.  We believe that parents deserve the choice for out-of-hospital birth, regardless of their financial situation. 


In-home prenatal, birth and postpartum care largely limits the hospital visits and minimizes exposure to COVID for the expectant family and the newborn. Transferring perinatal care to home-based care also helps to take pressure off of hospital systems that are overwhelmed by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The inability to pay for homebirth services disproportionately affects low income folks and people of color. We are also seeing that communities of color are harder hit by the coronavirus, both in death rates and financial instability. Additionally, the maternal mortality rate in Philadelphia is 27.4 deaths per 100,000 live births; well above the national average of 17.4 deaths. Statistics from the most recent data available note that 75% of those deaths were black parents. 98% were to people with Medicaid or those uninsured. These funds will be prioritized for black and people of color, reducing virus exposure to those most vulnerable and providing access to people otherwise unable to afford this choice. 

photo credit: Hayden trace, homeagainbirth.com

Midwifery care is resource and time intensive. Midwives need help from our community to be able to continue to offer this care. We have four well known and established midwives that are willing to offer a complete birth package at a “break-even” discounted rate of $2500 for each birth funded through this campaign. 

Financial Breakdown: 
Primary midwife at birth: $1,000
Assistant midwife at birth: $500
Medical supplies at birth: $150-400 
8-10 prenatal visits at $75 an hour: $600-750. 
3 postpartum home visits, offered at discounted rate of $75: $225
Services will include on-call availability in pregnancy, backup coverage, and a 6 week postpartum checkup completely free of charge.

photo credit: Tara Hamer www.taraphotography.com

The wonderful midwives that will accept these clients are Asasiya Muhammad of  Inner Circle Midwifery , Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery , Samantha Magpi of Magpi Midwifery  , and Krystina Friedlander of Baraka Birth 

We will provide updates on this page as to how many births are funded (partial or full) and which midwives have received funds. 

We understand that many people are experiencing a financial strain right now. If you are in a position to support this campaign you will be having a direct impact on the life of a family in our community.If you are unable to financially contribute, please spread the word about our campaign

If you are seeking a homebirth in Philadelphia and unable to afford it please contact [email redacted]

Interested applicants will apply via [email redacted]. We will send them out an application to determine their eligibility regarding their medical eligibility for homebirth, financial status, and story. We will offer both full and partial grants based off the amount of money they are able to contribute. Then we will match them with their preferred midwife out of the 4 midwives who are participating in the fundraiser. Once the grant recipient has had their initial visit with the midwife we will distribute the funds directly to the midwife to cover the cost of their birth. 

Additionally, there is a petition circulating to allow CPM’s to have licensure in PA (allowed in NJ currently) so they can accept Medicaid- click here  if you would like to sign the petition.

Petition created by Tegan Bernstein of Ten Moons Wellness , Katrina Lipinsky, and  Megan Mauger, of Nested Birth Doula .