FAQS

  • Thank you for your interest in applying for a PBF grant. Please click on the “Apply” tab on the top of this page for relevant information and the link to the grant application.

  • Black women and black pregnant people inside the greater Philadelphia area who are planning a home birth and are in need of financial services to support a safe and healthy pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period.

  • Philadelphia Birth Fund provides home birth grants to families in the Greater Philadelphia area. This includes all Philadelphia zipcodes plus 19018, 19026, 19050, 19082, 19083, 19096, 19023, 19036, 19079, 19001, 19006, 19040, 19044, 19046, 19090 19012, 19027, 19038, and 19095.

  • PBF homebirth grants are used to offset a portion of the homebirth midwife’s fee. The money is sent to the midwife when you are awarded a PBF grant. You and the midwife figure out a payment plan for the rest of the cost. As a PBF recipient there is the possibility to apply for additional funds to help cover additional services related to your birth and postpartum such as lactation consultants, postpartum care, childbirth education classes, etc.

  • The funds from your grant are sent to your homebirth midwife on your behalf. Grants are not given directly to families.

    Reimbursement for additional funds like home birth supplies, childbirth education classes, etc., can be discussed case-by-case. Please email us if you have already received a PBF grant and are in need of additional funds.

  • The large majority of our recipients come to us to “fill the gap” by applying for the PBF Grant. Homebirth fees in our area range from $5,500 to $7,500. PBF Grants are usually between $800 and $2,500. Some midwives will lower their fees for PBF recipients based on income or other considerations. For example, a midwife may normally have a fee of $7,000. If they lower their fee to $5,000, PBF pays $2,500 and the recipient pays $2,500. Many midwives have payment plans available for homebirth services.

  • Find a list of other organizations offering support to growing families in the Philadelphia area here.

PBF FAQs:

  • Homebirths allow for the comfort of staying at home, prevents the anxiety of driving to a hospital, and allows for the baby to be welcomed in an environment where their parents are comfortable. For most of human existence, babies were born at home. Homebirth is not new! Midwives use the Midwifery Model of Care.

  • A home birth begins with finding a midwife (the earlier in your pregnancy the better!) to see if you would be a good candidate for having a homebirth. You will have routine prenatal visits either in a consultation office or at your home. During these prenatal visits, your team will prepare you, your family, and your birth space to welcome your baby. There are supplies needed to prepare for home births and each midwife has information regarding supplies. All homebirth midwives have a hospital transfer policy in the event higher level medical care is needed for your or your baby. Regardless of hospital transfer, the midwives working with you will help coordinate transfer and postpartum care.

  • Your midwife will provide you with a list of items needed for your home birth. You can expect to spend an additional $100 on materials outside of what is provided by your midwife. For example, towels, olive oil, and disposable underpad sheets. Some midwives will offer birthing kits for you to purchase. You will need to buy the items on your own if you select a midwife who does not provide a birthing kit.

  • Midwifery services include prenatal, create a hospital transfer plan, labor, birth, and postpartum services. All recommended participants can continue to receive supplemental obstetric (OB) consultation services like ultrasounds, labwork, high risk clearance for home birth, and tandem care in case of a home to hospital transfer.

  • Midwives are able to provide a host of services dependent on your individual needs. The midwife will provide medical support throughout the birth and up to six weeks postpartum. Midwives monitor you and the baby’s health through active labor and early postpartum.

  • Midwives are medical providers throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period. During birth, they focus on ensuring the baby and birthing person are safe and healthy. Doulas provide birthing people and their families with emotional, informational, and physical support throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They especially provide lots of hands on labor support and emotional encouragement. Many people chose to have both a midwife and a doula for their births.

Homebirth FAQs:

  • There are many different types of home birth midwives. The Philly Birth Fund only provides grants to homebirth midwives who have the following national certifications:

    Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)
    Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
    Certified Midwife (CM)

  • Start by using a search engine like Google to find home birth midwives in the Philadelphia area. Search phrases like “Home birth midwives in Philadelphia CPM” or “Home birth midwives in Philadelphia CNM” will bring up several results.

    Many midwives and midwifery practices have a website or social media accounts for you to learn more about them. Once you have looked into the different options, set up a consultation with the midwives you are interested in to find out if they have availability, are a good fit for you, and are aligned with your home birth goals. During the consultation, you should also ask about the cost of their services.

    Contact program@phillybirthfund.org if you have any questions.

  • Any CPM/CNM/CM that you would like to support your pregnancy can be funded by PBF. This is a suggested list, but not a complete list. If you have a midwife that is not listed below, you can apply with them as your midwife.

    Baraka Birth - Krystina Derrickson, LM, CPM

    Da Professional Midwife - Titiola Ogbeide, CPM

    Inner Circle Midwifery - Asasiya Muhammad, CPM, LM

    Magpi Midwifery - Samm Magpi and Jamie Davison-Ortiz, CPM and Alena Fontaine, CPM

    Philadelphia Midwife Collective - Mac Vantilburg, CNM, MSM and Autumn Nelson, CNM and Payj Thommes, CNM
    Refuge Midwifery - Ray Rachlin, LM, CPM, CLC and Victoria Dean LM, CPM, CLC

    Trusting Hands Midwifery - Amatullah McMullen, CPM

  • On average, homebirth fees in our area range from $5,500-7,500 depending on the midwifery practice. Some midwives will lower their fees for a client based on income or other considerations. When speaking with different midwives, inquire about their fees to determine costs.

Finding a Midwife FAQs: