Monique Rodriguez, founder of haircare brand Mielle Organics, has committed $2 million to maternal health through birthFUND, a nonprofit providing families with holistic perinatal care and midwifery support.
Founded by former Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Elaine Welteroth, birthFUND has raised more than $6 million in funding since 2024, with backing from the Gates Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, Serena Williams, Kerry Washington, Karlie Kloss, MAC Cosmetics, Pinterest, JP Morgan Chase, and Pampers.
For Rodriguez, maternal healthcare is a personal cause – after years as a labor and delivery nurse, she lost her son at six months old.
As maternity care deserts broaden and insurance coverage plateaus, birthFUND aims to remove cost barriers and prevent maternal and fetal mortality. The multi-year investment will help birthFUND expand its support for maternal care providers, including the Milan Rodriguez Midwifery Scholarship Program at Kennedy-King College in Chicago, which will provide scholarships to midwifery students.
“Our biggest investment to date comes from a mother who has endured the very kind of unthinkable loss of life due to medical neglect that we work to prevent every single day,” Welteroth said on Instagram.
The program will focus on Chicago’s South Side, where maternal health disparities are nearly twice the national average, in partnership with Kennedy-King College and the Black Midwifery Collective.
