Frontline Doula
Black Doula Scholarship Award

2022 Cohort - Los Angeles County Only

First Rounds applications closed. Apply for Phase 2 of the cohort today!

Black Doula Scholarship Award

2022 Cohort - Serving Clients in Los Angeles County Only

We will be providing scholarships of $1,850 per birth to a cohort of 8-10 Black doulas to provide a range of perinatal doula care for up to 80 Black birthing families throughout Los Angeles County with due dates between Sept. 1, 2022 and Sept. 1, 2023. Doulas will also be given $100 per client to supplement for mileage/travel and data entry. Services will be provided in person or via telehealth where necessary. 1st round Black Doula Applications close June 30th.

It is vital that we increase access to community doulas for families that otherwise could not afford one. These awards will provide some financial support to Black doulas who are serving Black birthing people in high need, thus increasing access to doula care while supporting both doula and client's mental, emotional, and spiritual health during the perinatal period. All award applicants must provide their services to clients for FREE in order to be eligible.

Doula care in this program includes the following:

3 Prenatal Visits, Support at Birth, 3 Postpartum Visits, Community-Centered Practices, Advocacy Emotional Support, Culturally Competent Care, Lactation Support, Childbirth Education Materials, $100 baby shower gift card. Families will be required to contract with their doulas, and will be asked to complete basic surveys.

There are TWO Pathways to Receive an Award:

  1. Awardees may support their own clients from Los Angeles County with due dates between Sept. 1, 2022 and Sept. 1, 2023.

  2. Awardees may be matched with a birthing family who has filled out a “Request a Black Doula Match” form on Frontlinedoulas.com (launching July 1, 2022).*

All award applicants must provide their services to clients for FREE in order to be eligible.

*About the “Request A Black Doula Match”:

Beginning July 1st, 2022, qualifying families with due dates Sept. 1, 2022 to Sept. 1, 2023 in Los Angeles County will be able to fill out a “Request a Black Doula Match” form. They will then receive contact information for the 2022 Black Doula Scholarship Awardees. Clients will contact doulas to find a match and confirm availability. Once they have found a match with an available doula, they will contract directly with the doula for services. The enrollment period for the Black Doula Match program ends July 15th, 2023.

Awards are Based on the Following Criteria:

  • Doula identifies as Black, African American, or of African descent. 

  • Doula agrees to provide a minimum of 3 prenatal visits, support at birth, and 3 postpartum visits.

  • Doula has completed a comprehensive birth doula training with additional cultural competency training (verification will be required).

  • Doula attests to a minimum of 5 primary doula experiences.

  • Access to cell phone, email and internet required, with computer access highly suggested.

  • Must be able to respond within 24 hours to requests when emailed by admin.

  • Must be able to respond within 48 hours to texts/calls from potential doula match clients to assess clients for compatibility and your ability to commit to services. 

  • Must be able to respond to text messages from client and admin in a timely manner. 

  • Must feel confident in giving local community resources or refer to our web page.

  • Skilled support manner: responsive, professional, engaged, accountable and an active listener.

  • Doula agrees to follow the Frontline Doulas code-of ethics.

  • Doula agrees to participate in the monthly BWBJ Black Birthworkers Forum (annual membership fee will be covered by Diversity Uplifts, Inc.).

And You Agree to the Following Client Criteria:

  • Client identifies as Black or African American.

  • Client’s due dates are between September 1, 2022 and September 1, 2023. 

  • Client lives in Los Angeles County.

  • Clients will need to sign your doula contract for birth support. This can happen after you have been chosen (verification will be required).

  • All client contracts must reflect no money received from the client. This includes clients contracted within and outside of the Black Doula Match Program. The scholarship will pay for your services, not the client. (Client contract must reflect pro bono services or zero payment in payment section).

  • Client agrees to participate in our basic research questionnaires.

This program is brought to you by Diversity Uplifts and Frontline Doulas funded by a grant from LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment as a part of their expansion of the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Initiative (AAIMM) Community Doula Program.