2022
Impact Report
run by Team EMC
attended our two flagship annual events: MPower and LoveEMC
watched our films
Responding to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs Decision
Access to abortion care is central to the health and human rights of women and pregnant people. In response to the U.S. Supreme Court opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, Every Mother Counts reaffirmed our commitment to mothers, to those who choose not to become mothers, and to all who provide safe and respectful reproductive healthcare.
A Return to In-Person Events
We were thrilled to be able to bring our community together, in person, in 2022. In May, we celebrated Mother’s Day with our annual MPower Luncheon where we presented the Orange Rose Award to Carey Socol in recognition of her contributions to maternal health through her efforts on Team EMC. MPower featured a conversation on “Transforming Maternity Care” with JustBirth Space co-directors Aimee Brill and Chanel Porchia-Albert, and Jennie Joseph, founder & president of Commonsense Childbirth. We closed 2022 with LoveEMC in December where Natalie Merchant, Valerie June, Ilana Glazer, Joyelle Nicole Johnson, and Nancy Whang contributed their voices and talents to declare that maternal health is a human right.
My Arrival Story
Every mother has a story. To celebrate Mother’s Day, Every Mother Counts invited mothers to share their “arrival stories” to break through the isolation that can accompany parenthood. This campaign was inspired by the book, Arrival Stories, compiled by Amy Schumer and Christy Turlington Burns.
trained in the healthcare sector
provided with material support to address food, housing, and other inequities
attended by a skilled provider
Learning Tour Visits to Kenya and Tanzania
Every Mother Counts returned to East Africa in early 2022 to visit long-term grantees and assess new partnership opportunities for the first time in three years. We were inspired by new models of care and added three new community-based organizations in Kenya and Tanzania to our portfolio.
Celebrating Midwives in Guatemala
Later in the year, we returned to Guatemala to celebrate the latest class of midwives who graduated from Corazón del Agua. We also had the opportunity to visit our grantee Asociación de Comadronas del Area Mam's (ACAM) new mobile clinic sites, where their midwives provide care to pregnant people who lack access to critical maternity care services.
Emergency Response in Ukraine
In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we issued an emergency grant to Global Response Management to support their response efforts in providing supplies and equipment to healthcare workers and essential trauma training across hospitals.
Grantee Spotlight: Jennie Joseph
Jennie Joseph, founder & president of Commonsense Childbirth and a longtime EMC grantee and partner, was named one of TIME’s Women of the Year, marking an acknowledgement of the power of community-based care and midwifery to address racial and socioeconomic disparities in our healthcare system.
*Chart represents the breakdown of grants issued in each region in 2022. These amounts may differ from regional grantmaking commitments presented in our audited financials.
Afghanistan
Too Young to Wed*
Bangladesh
HOPE Foundation for Women and Children of Bangladesh
Guatemala
Asociación Corazón del Agua
Asociación de Comadronas del Area Mam (ACAM)
Colectivo (Women’s Justice Initiative, Maya Health Alliance, MAIA, WINGS)
Haiti
Foundation for Advancement of Haitian Midwives (FAHM)
Grace Community Birth Center*
Maison de Naissance*
Midwives for Haiti
India
Nazdeek
Indonesia
Bumi Sehat
Kenya
Dandelion Africa
International Childbirth Initiative/Lwala
Let’s End Fistula Initiative (LEFI)
Mexico
Global Response Management
Nepal
One Heart Worldwide
Philippines
Philippines Wanita dan Harapan (Bumi Wadah)*
Tanzania
Foundation for African Medicine and Education (FAME)
Maasai Women Development Organization (MWEDO)
Thamini Uhai
Ukraine
Global Response Management*
United States
Arkansas Birthing Project
Ujima Maternity Network
Pregnancy Pop-Up Village
SisterWeb
Elephant Circle
Community of Hope
Mamatoto Village
Commonsense Childbirth
Magnolia Birth House
Birthmark Doula Collective
Accompany Doula Care
Neighborhood Birth Center
Roots Community Birth Center
Uzazi Village
Changing Woman Initiative
Tewa Women United
Ancient Song Doula Services
Village Birth International
Community for Children
Shades of Blue Project
Sueños Sin Fronteras de Tejas
*Emergency Grants
received compassionate, person-centered text support, and approximately 300 birthing people benefited from 1:1 support through phone and video calls
accessed tools designed to help understand care options, build support, and advocate for rights
A Year of Growth for JustBirth Space
JustBirth Space is a free virtual support platform that began as a collaborative partnership between Village Birth International, Ancient Song Doula Services, Every Mother Counts, and Jacaranda Health in 2020 to provide compassionate and responsive support for pregnant and parenting people. The program saw tremendous growth in 2022, more than doubling its reach from the previous year and deepening partnerships with health systems to foster understanding of birth justice while promoting accountability and collaboration in clinical settings.
Launching Choices in Childbirth
To help pregnant people understand their care options, Every Mother Counts partnered with maternity care experts, community-based birth justice advocates, and CVS Health to create Choices in Childbirth, a free online series of educational and interactive tools.
for maternal health mobilized through EMC trainings and Take Action campaigns
and D.C. extended Medicaid coverage through a full year postpartum
EMC Policy Priorities in the Spotlight
In June, the White House released its Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, outlining 50 federal-level actions to improve maternal health and reflecting several key EMC policy priorities: training providers in respectful care, diversifying the maternity care workforce, expanding access to evidence-based models like doula and midwifery care, and more.
Advancing Doula Care in New York State
EMC joined the relaunched New York Coalition for Doula Access (NYCDA), a statewide coalition of doulas and supporters dedicated to advancing community-based doula care across New York. We were proud to participate in a NYCDA-led consensus-building project to determine an equitable Medicaid reimbursement rate for New York doulas, including up to eight home visits during the prenatal and postpartum periods and continuous labor support.
Momentum on Postpartum Medicaid Extension
Despite more than half of maternal deaths occurring during the postpartum period, this stage of pregnancy is often neglected in maternal health policy. To ensure new mothers can access the support they need during this critical time, EMC is a strong advocate for nationwide Medicaid extension through at least 12 months postpartum. We were thrilled to see significant progress on this issue in 2022, when 24 additional states & Washington D.C. extended Medicaid coverage through a full year after birth.
Every Mother Counts remains committed to working with the same optimism that we have brought to our work since our founding over a decade ago. We firmly believe that by increasing opportunities for people to learn and engage, we will continue to build momentum and drive this movement forward into 2023.
There are many reasons to be excited about what is to come in 2023. Every Mother Counts will be undertaking an organizational strategic planning process which had been on the docket for 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic. We are committed to continuous learning and growth; this process will lead to a new three-year strategy for EMC and will set up the organization to boldly enter our next phase of growth.
Additionally, in 2023, we will launch the latest chapter in our Giving Birth in America film series, and will lead our first Learning Tour to Indonesia to see a respectful care model in practice by our grantee partner organization, Bumi Sehat. 2023 should also see the reintroduction of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a package of 13 bills that address the leading causes of maternal death and racial disparities in maternal mortality in the U.S.
We firmly believe that with your support and shared belief that maternal health is a human right, Every Mother Counts will meet the ongoing challenges for maternal health head-on, working toward a world where all people, everywhere can access safe, respectful, and equitable maternity care.
Ending net assets: $10,996,908
Board
Liz Beshel Robinson (Outgoing Board Chair)
Mariam Naficy (Incoming Board Chair)
Christy Turlington Burns
Allison Gollust
Dr. Elizabeth Howell
Autumn Hunter
Hilani Kerr
Christiane Lemieux
Dr. Sharmila Makhija
Kim-Thu Posnett
Corporate & Brand Partners
Bank of America
OLAY
Goldman Sachs
Minted
Olay Body
Penguin Random House
Clare V. *
First Response
FoundRae
John Hardy
Maybelline
Tabayer
Citizens of Humanity*
Cole Haan
Farmgirl Flowers
Mytheresa
Select Equity
Sony Music
Tradeweb
AERIN Beauty
Alice and Wonder
AtticSalt
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Brides for a Cause
Goldbug
Lemieux et Cie
MUSE
Names for Good
Vintner’s Daughter
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Harwell Godfrey
HATCH
Jennifer Behr
Marrow Fine
Our Green House
Sakara
Scarborough & Tweed
Social Goods
In-Kind Donors
Citizens of Humanity
Clare V.
Farmgirl Flowers
HATCH
L’AVANT Collective
Maybelline
Minted
Social Goods
St. Roche
Individuals, Institutional Foundations, & Family Foundations
Anonymous
Anonymous
CVS Health Foundation
INDITEX
Seadream Foundation
Yellow Chair Foundation
Anonymous
The Blodgett Family Fund
Ford Foundation
Story Garschina Foundation
The Warburg Pincus Foundation
Orla Coleman* and Rikki Tahta
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
Jenn Haythe* and Eli Casdin
The Thomas and Janet Montag Family Foundation
Kim-Thu Posnett and Michael Pastor
Leslie Schrock
Irfan Alibhai
Beatrice and Jeffrey Altman
Anonymous
Anonymous
Pam* and Larry Baer
Brenda* and Richard Battista
The Boedecker Foundation
IM Jim Cox Jr Foundation
Carol and Joel Davis
Jamie Leigh Edwards
Foundation 33:11
Ben Garrett
Select Equity Group Foundation
Hayley and Tyler Hubbard
Elizabeth* and Gardner Lane Family Foundation
The McKinnon Family Foundation
Maria McManus* and Mark Gibson
Gina* and Stuart Peterson
Eva Marie* and Bill Price
Liz Beshel Robinson and Samuel Robinson
The Rockefeller Foundation
Serena Foundation
Shamrock Foundation
Leigh Sherwood* and William Merril Matthes
Mark and Jennifer Styslinger Charitable Foundation
Triangle Community Foundation
Samantha and Scott Zinober
Adrienne* and Chris Bosh
Surratt Thompson & Ceberio, PLLC Iolta Trust
Dr. Isha Clark and Alex Byer
Caroline Craig Fisher, Craig Family Trust
The D'Avino Family Charitable Gift Fund
Dalio Philanthropies
Jana Edelbaum and Michael Abbott
Nathalie Fraise
Allison Gollust
Meg and Bennett Goodman Family Foundation
Savannah Guthrie and Michael Feldman
Dr. Elizabeth Howell and Darren Thompson
Adriane Iann
Frederick Julius Isaac
Heather and Jony Ive
Abigail and Christopher Johnson
Kathryn and Matthew Kamm
Hilani and Neville Kerr
Landry's Foundation Rainforest
Patricia Herrera Lansing*
Christiane Lemieux
Kristin Lemkau
Nicholas Leone
Christy and Michael Lowe
Ann and Kevin Morrison
Ryan Morris
Sukey and Michael Novogratz
Liz Prior
Chanel and David A. Pyle
The Isabel Rose Foundation*
Sarah and Daniel Rueven
Lisa Shields
Devorah Spadone
Spinner Family Giving Fund
Legacy of Stipe Foundation
Lizzie and Jon Tisch
Jade and Tanner Tolbert
Ventas Foundation
Summer Tompkins Walker
Tali Farhadian Weinstein and Boaz Weinstein
Alexandra* and Spencer Wells
Amy Williams*
Drew Altman
Melissa* and Daniel Berger
Carol Ann Blinken*
Dillon Bock
Zach Bronstein
Cynthia Crawford
Molly Farley*
Heidi Flagg*
Anick Guira*
Heather Ketchpaw
Jason Larusso
Mariam Naficy and Michael Mader
Susan and Sean Paroff
Avantika and Sachin Patel
Lisa Stone Pritzker
Adrian Stroie
Brie Wilkes and Matthew Sonefeldt
A Special Thank You
Billie
Ilana Glazer
Joyelle Nicole Johnson
Valerie June
Natalie Merchant
Lutz Morris
My Arrival Story Contributors
Social Goods
Nancy Whang
& our Team EMC Ambassadors
* indicates Founder's Circle member
Image Captions and Credits Title Collage Left to right, top to bottom: 1. Doula Tayo Mbande and parent, Cynthia, during a Choices in Childbirth film shoot. (Credit: Critical Mass); 2. Traditional midwives Imelda López Sánchez and Lucia Tomasa Lopez await the arrival of EMC visitors at the ACAM birth center in Concepción, Chiquirichapa, Guatemala. (Credit: Janet Jarman); 3. Nurse Ella Shallua performs routine antenatal care on a patient at MWEDO in Tanzania. (Credit: Sarah Waiswa); 4. EMC Founder & President Christy Turlington Burns joins Dr. Nirvana Manning and Dr. Chelsea Clinton on a panel at the Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes, Women’s Rights conference in Little Rock, AR, in December 2022. (Credit: The Clinton Foundation); 6. Aimee Brill, Jennie Joseph, and Chanel Porchia-Albert speak at MPower, EMC’s Mother’s Day luncheon, in May 2022. (Credit: Tory William); 7. Christy Turlington Burns joins Natalie Merchant and Valerie June on stage at LoveEMC in December 2022. (Credit: MacKenna Lewis); 8. Kalen Norton, Team EMC Strength Training Coach, runs the TCS New York City Marathon in November 2022. (Credit: Paula Abreu Pita); 9. EMC Founder & President Christy Turlington Burns speaks at a panel, Cycle of Black Motherhood: History, Health, Policy & Justice, at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Credit: Courtney Yannacci); A Letter from Our Founder: Students present EMC Founder & President Christy Turlington Burns with a gift at MWEDO Girls School in Tanzania. (Credit: Sarah Waiswa); Awareness Raising: An individual at the May 2022 demonstration protesting the possibility of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in Lower Manhattan. (Credit: Christy Turlington Burns); Investing in Solutions: Grantmaking: Jennie Joseph, Founder and President of Commonsense Childbirth and longtime EMC partner and grantee, conducts a prenatal visit. (Credit: Jodi Carol); Investing in Solutions: Transformative Initiatives: Doula Tayo Mbande during a Choices in Childbirth film shoot. (Credit: Critical Mass)
