Forbes reports: Monique Rodriguez’s Donation Of $2 Million To BirthFUND, Kennedy-King College's Midwifery program, Signals Leadership On Maternal Health

The investment will establish the birthFUND Milan Rodriguez Midwifery Scholarship Program at Kennedy-King College on Chicago’s South Side. Created by the Black Midwifery Collective, led by Star August-Ali, in partnership with the college, the multi- year initiative is expected to fund each cohort of student midwives. That turns the donation from charity into something closer to infrastructure investment.

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The latest March of Dimes data found that 34.6% of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, meaning they have no birthing facilities or obstetric clinicians. About 2.4 million women of reproductive age live in those counties. Nearly 58% of rural counties lack an obstetric clinician.

Midwives could be one important part of addressing that shortage. The World Health Organization says that when midwives are properly educated and midwifery is integrated into health systems, quality midwifery care could avert more than 80% of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths globally.

birthFUND has raised more than $6 million since its 2024 founding and supported hundreds of families through a network of 12 partner birth centers. birthFUND’s newest initiative moves the organization’s model further upstream – helping fund not only today’s care but tomorrow’s caregivers. Rodriguez’s contribution ensures its sustainability.