WHAMglobal Community Fund

The WHAMglobal Community Fund was designed to support coordination of maternal health programs and provide a forum for community-based organizations (CBOs) based in Allegheny County to collaborate, convene, and share best practices, as part of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s and WHAMglobal’s participation in the Merck for Mothers Safer Childbirth Cities Initiative.

The Community Fund provides grants to support CBOs’ work and create a forum to:

  1. Build collaborative partnerships
  2. Coordinate services
  3. Share best practices
  4. Receive training, new skills, and technical assistance
  5. Build consensus on priorities for improving maternal health outcomes in communities hardest hit by maternal health disparities

Through learning collaboratives, mentorship, and stronger networks, the Community Fund creates a collaborative environment around shared goals while strengthening organizational capacity to meet those goals. The intent of the Community Fund is to provide increased support to CBOs who are trusted in their communities, have a clear mission toward improving maternal health outcomes for the mothers in their clientele communities, and are providing evidence-based services and support for pregnant and birthing people.

Community Fund Members:

Through their participation in the Community Fund, members:

  • Receive funding support for three years to allocate in an area of their greatest need that would facilitate collaboration and coordination with other fund members.
  • Collectively and collaboratively work with WHAMglobal to design outcome measures, while Community Fund members retain autonomy to act using their strengths and to seek technical assistance in areas of greatest need.
  • Attend and participate actively in regular Learning Collaborative meetings, which present an opportunity for Community Fund members to convene, build partnerships, align goals and activities around maternal health, share challenges and best practices, access skills-building sessions and trainings, and provide feedback from their clients and communities.

A Shared Commitment of Health Equity

The Community Fund members are interested in building more collaborative networks among their peer CBOs, sharing best practices, and working together to strengthen their impact in their communities toward improving maternal health outcomes. As part of the grantee selection process, WHAMglobal prioritized funding for organizations led by women of color serving the community in Allegheny County, PA. In alignment with recommendations shared by A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities (ABFE), the WHAMglobal Community Fund and its members are committed to:

  • BUILD AGENCY: Increase investments in organizations led by people of color that connect individuals and families to a wide array of resources and build power in our communities to lead substantive change.
  • PUSH STRUCTURAL CHANGE: Use funds to leverage public dollars to increase resources to Black-led organizations as well as for services and reforms in key areas for communities of color, including maternal health.
  • CENTER BLACK EXPERIENCE: Engage leaders of color and communities in the development of philanthropic and policy solutions to ensure that well-intentioned “helping” and reform efforts do not exacerbate existing disparities.