Nursing Midwifery Class of 2017 Scholarship Fund
Penn Scholarship for Midwives of Color

Midwives of Color
The profession of midwifery has historically been committed to caring and advocating for vulnerable populations in our country, and has substantially contributed to improving maternal/child health outcomes in the setting of ever-widening racial health disparities. Alongside this proud tradition is also a long, shameful history in the U.S. of significant legal, institutional, and socioeconomic barriers to people of color accessing higher education. As a result, American midwives have been a predominantly racially-homogenous group, ensuring that the majority of midwife-patient relationships are race-discordant, as evidenced in part by a more than 90% racially-white composition of ACNM members, the national organization of certified midwives. This lack of racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in the midwifery workforce is the challenge of our generation, and must be addressed as a matter of professional integrity and quality care delivery in the communities we serve.
Diversifying the workforce and improving outcomes.
We are united in our belief that diversifying the midwifery workforce will benefit not only our patients, but also enrich our profession with the wisdom, traditions, and knowledge of women's health found in communities of diverse origins. Towards this end, the University of Pennsylvania CNM Class of 2017 is proud to announce The Penn Faculty Scholarship for Midwives of Color, a fund that will help this institution support and welcome more midwives of color to the Penn community. It is our hope that the establishment of this scholarship will be a small part of a comprehensive effort by the American midwifery community to right the wrongs of the past and strengthen our legacy by actively seeking inclusivity, justice, and equity in our profession.
Your support will make an impact!
Help us Endow a Scholarship for $50,000 Because of a One-time Matching Opportunity!
We are thrilled to announce that Penn Nursing has received a donor match of $100,000 if we could reach our goal by November 20th, 2019. This is a unique opportunity to endow a $150,000 endowed scholarship to support midwives of color! Please consider helping us reach our goal! Additionally we have a donor matching 10k we raise from 10/20-11/20, let's maximize these donations!
  • Health outcomes improve when people are cared for by providers of the same race/ethnicity
  • Providers of color care mostly for underserved populations
  • Only 5.8% of nurse-midwives/certified midwives are persons of color
  • People of color die of gynecologic cancers at greater rates
  • Pregnant Black people are 4x more likely to die from childbirth
  • Black children are more than 2x as likely to die before their first birthday
  • Diversifying the profession of midwifery can improve health outcomes
  • Making education more accessible to student midwives of color, can diversify the profession
  • 100% of donations go directly to the scholarship fund
  • 100% of your donation is tax-deductible
Donation messages
In honor of the birthday of the most wonderful person in the world, my most precious flower, Dr. Madelyne Z. Greene. --Madelyne Greene
The UPenn Midwifery Class of 2019 makes this donation in hopes of a more equitable future for midwives and their patients. Thank you to all who donated on our behalf and supported us in this journey to becoming midwives. --UPenn Midwifery Class of 2019
Thank you for supporting mothers of color - your work is so needed. --Ms. Patricia Slutsky
Inspired by my Aunt Emma. --Lucy Dorsey
Midwifery class of 2017 - y'all are amazing. Thank you so much for this work. --Ms. AJ Ludlow
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Fundraising goal $55,000.00
  When they told Jatolloa they were naming the baby after her!  
Recent donations (258 donations)
Name DescendingX Amount
Madelyne Greene $200.00
UPenn Midwifery Class of 2019 $2000.00
Ms. Patricia Slutsky $20.00
Valarie Cravens
Penn Law If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
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Recent donations
Top donors (258 donations)
Anonymous $10000.00
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