State of Birth Equity Initiative (SOBE)
In collaboration with Afton Bloom and Boldly Go Philanthropy, CHAP launched the State Exchange for Maternal Health to provide a platform where funders could share best practices for public-private partnerships; direct more funding to state-level maternal health initiatives; and strengthen health systems by ensuring resources went where they were needed most. As the technical assistance arm of the State Exchange, SOBE provided support for funders seeking greater alignment across their state’s birth equity ecosystem, catalyzing collaborative philanthropic action with the aim of creating optimal birth conditions for all people.
APPROACH
-
Facilitate convenings for funders and other partners, including state government, to learn and act together.
-
Conduct interviews, surveys, and secondary research on each state’s birth equity landscape
-
Our team members provide recommendations for grantmaking, convening, and other changemaking opportunities.
-
Advise on funder collaborative structure and operations and develop operational charters.
-
Make introductions to peers in other states and host cross-state learning sessions.
Since 2022, SOBE has provided catalytic support to partners across the country, helping to seed and convene early conversations, accelerate efforts, and amplify impact at state and community levels. This report documents meaningful progress towards birth equity made by funders and partners in nine states and what we’ve learned in the process about the value of collaboration.
State of Birth Equity: Catalyzing Place-Based Philanthropy
The New Jersey Model:
A Blueprint for Change
In 2021, following the release of the Nurture New Jersey maternal health strategic plan, a group of funders came together to explore how philanthropy could support its implementation.
Five foundations, including CHAP, joined forces to form the New Jersey Birth Equity Funders Alliance. SOBE was inspired by the early success of this collaborative philanthropic model. What began as a state-level response to maternal health disparities laid the foundation for a national approach to birth equity.