Alisha Lalani’s Post

Black mothers experience vastly different outcomes during and after pregnancy—they are 3x more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women. A number of structural issues lead to this, from poor education to a lack of representation in healthcare to gaps in health cover. It’s the combination of these challenges that Mae is setting out to solve Mae Health ⭐️ Pregnancy and postpartum support platform for Black mothers ⭐️ A culturally responsive digital first solution, combining digital engagement and risk-tracking with community-based doula support ⭐️ Key focus on Medicaid recipients (which funds around 65% of Black births in the US) ⭐️ Founded by Maya Hardigan in 2020 in our Venture Studio Mae has just closed their Seed funding round, led by Jumpstart Nova, with backing from the Astia Fund, Impact Engine, Joyance Partners, and Gratitude Railroad Read more about their raise here: https://lnkd.in/dCAQK_fw George Northcott | David Hickson | Olivia Brooks | Lee Bernasconi | Simon Lovick | Laura Moross #healthtech #startup #fundraise #seedfunding

Hey you all, I am delighted to be working on this amazing project where we are on a mission to make pregnancy safer for all the women out there with BobiHealth. Here's the link to our Kickstarter campaign - where you can learn more about the project. Check it out #pregnancyapps #appdevelopement #startupmarketing #startupcommunity #startbusiness #growthstrategy #growthopportunities #kickstartercampaign

We started Chiyo somewhat accidentally. Accidentally as in I had the idea, thought it needed to exist, convinced Jennifer Jolorte to join me and built the scaffolding in an excited frenzy. All I thought about was getting it off the ground. But then in the most fortunate series of events, we become a top Google search result ranking overnight, and were featured in NY Times and Bon Appetit in our first quarter. That’s when things got serious. I still had 1.5 years of graduate school — I hadn’t yet thought about what needed to be true for me to take on building the business. I dragged my feet because I knew it’d be hard, and I knew the odds would be stacked against us in every dimension. Even more so, I was worried about compromising my values to prioritize profit above all else, knowing I’d have to raise capital to build my vision (incentive structures drive everything!). Can you really build a business that balances profit and impact? Especially in such a delicate space as maternal health, I was convinced I couldn’t. It took an agonizing, windy 25 pg final paper in my Harvard Kennedy School Social Entrepreneurship class with Stephanie Khurana & Jim Bildner to realize, I wouldn’t know unless I tried. Since then, I’ve been lucky to witness and learn from incredible trailblazers like Sarah Hardy Laura Modi Kim Gebbia Chappell, Jane Baecher, Carine Carmy and countless more. Now I know there are many ways to make waves, and impact can be prioritized when you have the right leaders at the helm💪🏽. I’m so proud to partner with their organizations for our first campaign — Who’s Mothering the Mother: https://lnkd.in/gt2vyBeE We started Chiyo because we couldn’t believe the lack of support in the US for postpartum recovery. In other countries, there’s a holistic regimen for a mother’s recovery after birth (thank you Heng Ou for exposing the US to this). With this campaign, our goal is to bring awareness to the postpartum experience, normalize postpartum care plans, and make it easier for new mothers to find their communities earlier. Let’s dream big about what we deserve and let’s get others into the fold. It takes a village. Join us in writing a letter to a mother: https://lnkd.in/grr9-sg8. 💌 And we sweeten the deal with a chance to win our 💫 dream postpartum care package: https://lnkd.in/gnbSU85x. It’s what we wish for every mother, and we’re fighting to make this happen. It starts with a cultural movement to bring policy change.

"Funders tend to ask the questions and hold others accountable, which is why impact reports and metrics customarily focus on what nonprofits did or did not do. But as with other instances of limited institutional knowledge, this approach overlooks information funders need to assess and innovate. This includes ways funders inadvertently contribute to harm through internal processes and participation in an economic system that produces inequity and sustains trauma." - Shruti Jayaraman, Chicago Beyond A must-read "Healing-Centered Funding for Systems Change" penned by Shruti Jayaraman, and featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review offers funders a way to expand their perspectives, lean into trust-based philanthropy values, do less harm, and be more effective at systems change. Read the full article below!

Nonprofits and funders: It's our year to take action and build relationships grounded in trust! Check out this insightful Stanford Social Innovation Review article that offers perspective on how funders can minimize harm and become more effective contributors to systems change: https://lnkd.in/giKDCGyg #TrustBasedPhilanthropy

GreenLight Fund Twin Cities announced a multi-year investment in Irth by Narrative Nation Inc. to address the increasing maternal health and mortality disparities that exist for Black and brown birthing people. Irth (as in Birth, but we dropped the B for bias), a technology-based platform, enables Black and brown birthing people, doulas and family members to leave prenatal, birthing, postpartum and pediatric reviews of healthcare providers and institutions on the app. GreenLight Fund Twin Cities is celebrating the success of this initiative with change-makers and community leaders gathering Friday, February 23, at the Capri Theater. The evening will include a private screening of "The Big Idea: Birth Without Bias", an inspiring short documentary profiling Irth founder Kimberly Seals Allers, and be followed by a party. Keep an eye out for more information, and in the meantime, save the date. #blackphilanthropy #blackmaternalhealth #blacktechnology #investment #communityinvestment #partnership #GreenLightFund #IrthApp #MaternalHealthEquity #BirthWithoutBias #HealthcareDisparities #CommunityLeaders #DocumentaryScreening #CapriTheaterEvent #EmpoweringCommunities #InnovativeSolutions #SocialChange #HealthTech #EliminatingBias #NarrativeNation #KimberlySealsAllers #HealthcareReviews #SaveTheDate #SupportingFamilies #CommunityGathering #HealthEquityAdvocates #LeveretteWeekes

🌟 The Baby Spirit Foundation is now on LinkedIn! 🌟 We believe in making a difference in the world by serving families and individuals who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss Why Connect with Us? 🔹 Get updates on our latest initiatives and projects. 🔹 Learn about the impact we're making. 🔹 Discover how you can join us in our mission and make a difference. 🔹 Connect with like-minded individuals and organizations who share our passion. 📢 Stay tuned for more updates, stories, and inspiring moments. Let's connect, collaborate, and change lives! #NonProfit #Impact #ChangeMakers #CommunityEngagement

Congratulations Francesca (Check) Warner Matt Penneycard on pioneering yet again at Ada Ventures to reinvent the venture capital ecosystem through the female lens. THIS is the future of VC - because there's a huge amount of money to be made out of taking women, and parents, seriously. Re women in venture building new founder support ecosystems, keep an eye on Kate Freeman, currently raising Equity Hive Fund 1: Arbitrage (LPs, get in there quick!) and setting up a radically innovative financial, operational and mental health support ecosystem for women entrepreneurs - because when we are provided not only with funding but with the conditions to thrive, we make a huge amount of money for the visionary investors who back us 😍 ' Lots of VC funds still don’t even have parental leave policies in place beyond the statutory minimum. And nor do most early stage start-ups. Founders often feel chronic guilt about leaving their work baby to look after their actual baby; returning to work far too soon as a result. VCs often make this worse for founders. Instead of supporting them in the transition to parenthood, I’ve heard bleak stories of VCs chastising founders for their audacity in starting a family...  today we’re announcing our new policy to cover the cost of the ‘back-up’ childcare founders may need to rely on each year. We believe we’re the first VC in Europe to do this, possibly elsewhere too (although if you’ve heard of a similar scheme, please let us know, we’d love to connect and learn from other funds’ experiences). From this month onwards, each founder in the Ada Ventures portfolio will be entitled to claim up to 40 hours of childcare each year. The offering will be delivered via Bubble, the UK’s leading on-demand childcare platform (and an Ada portfolio company). We’ve designed the scheme to cover the gaps created by childcare arrangements falling through — such as through child sickness or nursery closures — following Bubble’s research that found parents are forced to take eight days off work each year because of this.' https://lnkd.in/eZ5pBJC5 #FundFemaleFounders #FundFemaleFoundedFunds

We are excited to share that we have officially launched the GE HealthCare Foundation today, a focused and ambitious initiative that builds from the company’s legacy in delivering access to healthcare to make a difference in the lives of patients in underserved communities.   The GE HealthCare Foundation is a charitable organization, incorporated separately from GE HealthCare, with a mission to advance equitable access to precision healthcare. The GE HealthCare Foundation will fund the Colleague Matching Gifts program (US only in 2024), humanitarian aid for crises and disasters globally, and health-equity-focused grants to organizations that aim to make healthcare more accessible, personal, human and flexible. As a leader in our industry, it is critical that we play an active role in inspiring and pursuing meaningful change globally, and supporting and elevating access to healthcare in the communities that need it most.   Following the example of GE including more than a century of making an impact on communities, education and diversity, our company is making philanthropy and social impact top priorities right from the start. The GE HealthCare Foundation’s work will initially focus on maternal health, and at launch, it will be making its first grants to dynamic global nonprofits committed to improving care for women and babies. Although we have seen progress in maternal healthcare, more work needs to be done to ensure all mothers have access to safe, high-quality care. https://lnkd.in/gxjTzrnP #gehealthcare

GRANT OPPORTUNITY! In 2021, mental health was the leading preventable cause of maternal mortality, affecting up to one in five birthing women and up to one in three new mothers of color. It intersects with many societal issues, including child development, housing and family economic security. Yet, most pregnant and parenting people of color are not getting the help they need.   The Maternal Mental Health Equity Fund (MMHEF) will invest in a national cohort of organizations and leaders across the country who are delivering models of care that are built in and by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities. We are launching an open Request for Proposals (RFP) specifically seeking programs or initiatives that are: (1) built within and by BIPOC communities (2) led by BIPOC leaders with a community-oriented focus; and (3) demonstrating impact and addressing maternal mental health inequity.    **Proposals are due by Friday, January 12, 2024 at 11:59 pm PT. Attend our informational webinar on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 3:30 pm EST / 12:30 pm PST.   Eligibility details along with proposal questions and RFP submission details can be found here: https://bit.ly/MMHEF_RFP    MMHEF is a national pooled fund that is currently supported by Perigee Fund, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Community Health Acceleration Partnership (CHAP), Maritz Family Foundation, and Roots & Wings Foundation, as well as several others who are actively exploring joining the fund.