Support Midwives Today
|
|
|
Support midwives that show up for you.
|
|
|
The CARE Fund Campaign
Sustain Midwives. Sustain Community Birth.
Behind every safe, supported birth is a midwife who deserves to be supported.
Your generosity helps us care for the caregivers—offering immediate assistance when illness, trauma, or emergencies interrupt their ability to stay on call.
|
Midwives get sick. Our children need us. We lose people we love. And sometimes we need rest. But we are still on call.
Community midwives build our lives around being available to families. We miss holidays, leave dinners unfinished, sleep with our phones beside us, and stay close to home for weeks at a time. When someone needs us, we show up. When we need to step away, it takes another midwife to make that possible. Appointments still need to happen. Someone has to answer the phone and be ready to attend a birth. That midwife is also rearranging their life, family responsibilities, and practice to help. Coverage costs money. And too often, the midwife facing an illness, loss, or family emergency has to carry that cost alone. We also need coverage to attend trainings, maintain certifications, and practice emergency skills. The cost of continuing our education can include registration, travel, lost income, and paying another midwife to care for our clients while we’re away. These costs add up. They make it harder to take time off, even when we need it, and harder to stay in this work. The MA-NACPM CARE Fund helps pay for that coverage. The CARE Fund—Coverage Assistance & Rest Equity Fund—supports eligible Massachusetts community midwives who need to step away:
Make a one-time gift or become a recurring donor. You can also give in honor of a midwife who made a difference in your life, or in memory of someone whose care you want to remember. A grant from the BEE Collaborative helped establish the fund. Continued donations will help us keep it available when midwives need it. Thank you for helping us care for each other—and for the families who count on us. Our Fiscal Sponsor
The National Foundation for Certified Professional Midwives (NFCPM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the fiscal sponsor for the MA-NACPM Midwifery CARE Fund. NFCPM receives and acknowledges donations, allowing supporters to make tax-deductible gifts to the extent permitted by law. The Chapter’s CARE Committee reviews requests and awards assistance under the Fund’s written policies. |
If a midwife has answered your call in the middle of the night, sat with you through uncertainty, or helped you feel safe and supported, this is one way to care for them in return. |
Donations made through this campaign are received and acknowledged by the National Foundation for Certified Professional Midwives, the fiscal sponsor for the MA-NACPM CARE Fund. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and benefit the CARE Fund as a whole. Tribute gifts may honor or remember a particular midwife but cannot be earmarked for that person’s direct benefit.
CARE Fund FAQs for Families and Supporters
What is the CARE Fund?
The MA-NACPM CARE Fund helps community midwives with coverage costs during illness, recovery, bereavement, or a family emergency. It also supports access to midwifery education and clinical training, including coverage so a midwife can attend.
Why do midwives need help paying for coverage?
Most community midwives are self-employed, with no paid sick time or vacation. If a midwife gets sick or has a family emergency, she still has to pay another midwife to care for her clients.
That money comes out of the fees clients have already paid—income she has budgeted for her practice expenses and her own household. So taking time to recover or care for her family means giving up income she was counting on. CARE helps pay for coverage so she doesn’t have to carry that cost alone.
Does the fund pay for vacations?
No. CARE supports qualifying hardship coverage and education access. It does not pay for routine vacation coverage or replace lost income.
Can I give in honor of my midwife?
Yes. It’s a way to recognize someone whose care mattered to you. Your gift supports the shared CARE Fund; it is not reserved for the midwife you name.
Can I choose which midwife receives my donation?
No. The CARE Committee reviews applications and awards assistance using the same criteria for everyone. Donations cannot be earmarked for a particular person.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Donations made through the NFCPM (National Foundation for Certified Professional Midwives) charitable giving option may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The organization receiving your gift provides the donation acknowledgment.
Who decides how the money is used?
The MA-NACPM CARE Committee reviews requests under the Chapter’s written grant policies. The Chapter maintains financial records and provides the documentation required by its fiscal sponsorship arrangement with NFCPM.
Will you share who receives assistance?
We can share program totals and impact. We do not identify recipients or share their personal circumstances without permission.
Do I have to donate if my midwife shares the fund with me?
No. Giving is completely optional and has no effect on your care.
How else can I help?
Share the fund with friends, family, or others who care about community birth. Helping people understand why midwives need coverage is useful, too.
Where can I donate or ask a question?
You can donate directly from our website or use the link below.
Questions: [email protected]
Sustain the Midwife. Sustain Community Birth.
The MA-NACPM CARE Fund helps community midwives with coverage costs during illness, recovery, bereavement, or a family emergency. It also supports access to midwifery education and clinical training, including coverage so a midwife can attend.
Why do midwives need help paying for coverage?
Most community midwives are self-employed, with no paid sick time or vacation. If a midwife gets sick or has a family emergency, she still has to pay another midwife to care for her clients.
That money comes out of the fees clients have already paid—income she has budgeted for her practice expenses and her own household. So taking time to recover or care for her family means giving up income she was counting on. CARE helps pay for coverage so she doesn’t have to carry that cost alone.
Does the fund pay for vacations?
No. CARE supports qualifying hardship coverage and education access. It does not pay for routine vacation coverage or replace lost income.
Can I give in honor of my midwife?
Yes. It’s a way to recognize someone whose care mattered to you. Your gift supports the shared CARE Fund; it is not reserved for the midwife you name.
Can I choose which midwife receives my donation?
No. The CARE Committee reviews applications and awards assistance using the same criteria for everyone. Donations cannot be earmarked for a particular person.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Donations made through the NFCPM (National Foundation for Certified Professional Midwives) charitable giving option may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The organization receiving your gift provides the donation acknowledgment.
Who decides how the money is used?
The MA-NACPM CARE Committee reviews requests under the Chapter’s written grant policies. The Chapter maintains financial records and provides the documentation required by its fiscal sponsorship arrangement with NFCPM.
Will you share who receives assistance?
We can share program totals and impact. We do not identify recipients or share their personal circumstances without permission.
Do I have to donate if my midwife shares the fund with me?
No. Giving is completely optional and has no effect on your care.
How else can I help?
Share the fund with friends, family, or others who care about community birth. Helping people understand why midwives need coverage is useful, too.
Where can I donate or ask a question?
You can donate directly from our website or use the link below.
Questions: [email protected]
Sustain the Midwife. Sustain Community Birth.