Jamaa Birth Village

What Jamaa Birth Village does

Jamaa Birth Village is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in October 2015 and headquartered in Ferguson, Missouri, operating as The Historic Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Center. The organization delivers culturally congruent maternal health, education, and cultural heritage services to BIPOC pregnant people and families in the St. Louis region, addressing documented disparities including the 3x higher maternal mortality rate for Black women and 2x higher infant mortality rate for Black babies. Its service portfolio spans five pillars: clinical care (midwifery and doula services with sliding scale, pro-bono, and Medicaid-billed access through Healthy Blue, United Health Care, and Home State Health), education and training (Family Doula Training at $2,500 tuition and Okunsola's School of Traditional Midwifery at $27,500 for a two-year program), cultural preservation (the African Indigenous Midwifery Museum and Library & Research Institute), wellness products (Jamaa Herbal Apothecary and Holistic Spa Therapy), and community initiatives (STL 360 Doula Initiative and St. Louis Doulas of Color Collective).

The underlying "technology" is a culturally-grounded, community-based midwifery care model that integrates African Indigenous practices with modern clinical midwifery, operationalized through a 4,000 sq ft facility at 40 N Florissant Rd and a forthcoming 5,000 sq ft Birth Center & Postpartum Retreat Haven launching in 2027. Proprietary assets include the trademark-pending Folk Midwife and Birth Priestess designation pathways, the African Indigenous Midwifery Library & Research Institute (the nation's most comprehensive Black midwifery-centered repository), and the world's first museum solely dedicated to African Indigenous midwifery traditions.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across clinical service fees (Medicaid, private insurance, FSA, sliding scale), training tuition with scholarship offsets, museum memberships and entry fees, donations and capital campaigns, and restricted grants from funders including Merck for Mothers ($1 million for STL 360), March of Dimes, and Chicago Beyond. The organization has trained 460+ Black doulas and served 800+ families since inception. As a mission-driven nonprofit, Jamaa Birth Village reinvests operating surpluses into community programming and infrastructure rather than equity-holder returns.

Name

Jamaa Birth Village

Legal name

Jamaa Birth Village

Website

https://jamaabirthvillage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jamaa Birth Village is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Ferguson, Missouri, operating a Black-led midwifery clinic, doula training, midwifery school, and the African Indigenous Midwifery Museum. Founded in 2015, it delivers culturally congruent maternal health and heritage programming to BIPOC families in the St. Louis region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maternal Health Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051)

akta.pro primary industry

Midwifery & Birth Centers (HLAFAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Newborn Care Specialist Placement, Matching & Staffing Services (HSAAACAK), Maternity & Pregnancy (Perinatal) Medicaid Managed Care Programs (HLAEAEAH), Maternal/Newborn & Postpartum Skilled Home Visits (HSABACAK)

Keywords

• Midwifery care services
• Doula support services
• Maternal health education
• Community birth work
• Cultural heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ferguson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Maternal Health Care Services: Prenatal and postpartum midwifery care services billed through Medicaid, private insurance, and self-pay sliding scale. Services include comprehensive midwifery care, doula support, holistic therapies, and well-baby care.
2. Doula Training Program: Family doula training program with $2,500 tuition for paying students. Scholarships available for Missouri residents. Free and scholarship-based training for low-income family members. Includes 2-year certification and doula kit.
3. Midwifery School Tuition: Two-year midwifery education program at $27,500 total ($13,750/year). Payment options include monthly ($1,150/month), annual ($13,250/year), or pay-in-full ($26,000). Full and partial scholarships available.
4. Museum & Library Memberships: Annual memberships at three tiers: Community Member ($65/year), Midwife Cultural Heritage Contributor ($150/year), Ancestral Midwife Circle Patron ($500/year). Includes unlimited admission, research access, and event discounts.
5. Museum Entry & Tours: Daily museum entry: Adults $7, Students $5 (with valid ID), Children free (ages 0-12). Guided and self-guided tours available by advance booking.
6. Grant Funding: Major grants including $1 million from Merck for Mothers for STL 360 Doula Initiative, $20k from March of Dimes, and scholarship funding from Chicago Beyond for midwifery school students.
7. Donations & Fundraising: 501(c)(3) nonprofit accepting donations through capital campaigns and general fundraising. Notable campaigns include $71k raised in 67 days for clinic purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jamaa Birth Village operates Missouri's first Black-led midwifery clinic providing comprehensive prenatal, birth, and postpartum midwifery and doula care to BIPOC families in the Ferguson/St. Louis region on a sliding scale, Medicaid-accepting basis. The organization also runs Okunsola's School of Traditional Midwifery (two-year lineage-based education), a family doula training program, the African Indigenous Midwifery Museum (the world's first dedicated to Black midwifery traditions), the African Indigenous Midwifery Library & Research Institute, and community initiatives such as the STL 360 Doula Initiative that has trained 363+ doulas.

Product overview

Jamaa Birth Village is a multi-program maternal health and cultural heritage nonprofit offering a comprehensive suite of services organized into five core pillars: (1) Clinical Care Services including Midwifery Care and Doula Care for prenatal, birth, and postpartum support; (2) Education and Training programs including the Doula Training Program and Okunsola's School of Traditional Midwifery; (3) Cultural Preservation through the African Indigenous Midwifery Museum and African Indigenous Midwifery Library & Research Institute; (4) Wellness Products including the Jamaa Herbal Apothecary and Holistic Spa Therapy; and (5) Community Initiatives such as the STL 360 Doula Initiative and St. Louis Doulas of Color Collective. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Ferguson, Missouri, with its Cultural Heritage Center expansion celebrating 10 years of service in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• African Indigenous Midwifery Museum (AIMM): First museum in the world solely dedicated to preserving, archiving and honoring precolonial African Indigenous midwifery birthing practices, rituals, ceremonies and Black diasporic Midwifery ways.
• African Indigenous Midwifery Library & Research Institute
• Okunsola's School of Traditional Midwifery (OSTM)
• STL Doulas of Color Collective
• Sankofa Doula Program
• Equal Access Midwifery Clinic

Products and services

• Midwifery Care Comprehensive prenatal, birth, and postpartum midwifery care including 45-60 minute visits, childbirth education, nutrition support, holistic bodywork, lactation support, mental health counseling, hospital birth support, and preconception care. Available on sliding scale with Medicaid and private insurance accepted.
• Doula Care

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• MO Health Net and Healthy BluecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Medicaid managed care organizations providing reimbursement for doula care services following legislative efforts.
• Missouri History MuseumsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration for inaugural 'History of Black Midwifery' event chronicling African Midwives from the continent to Missouri.
• Missouri Community Doula CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-leadership on legislative efforts to elevate doula care in Missouri and co-host of Missouri's 1st Black Maternal Health Summit.
• Missouri Department of Health and Senior ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to ensure doulas were paid equitable wages and work on Medicaid reimbursement policy.
• BJC HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership for Missouri's first Doula-Friendly Hospital initiative, training healthcare providers across 6 hospitals and campuses on supporting community doulas.
• Tao + Lee ArchitecturesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Architecture firm assisting with design of the Birth Center & Postpartum Retreat Haven model.
• Midwives College of UtahsupportingOthers · 1 January 2022Okunsola M. Amadou completed midwifery education at this institution.
• Cannon DesignssupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Provided free architecture services, interior design support, and volunteer painting team for clinic renovations and future Birth Center.
• St. Louis Doulas of Color CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Missouri's and St. Louis's first BIPOC Doula collective, led by Black women. Partnered with Jamaa for STL 360 Doula Initiative.
• March of DimescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017$20k grant to implement Centering Pregnancy Program. Partnership continued through Doula-Friendly Hospital initiative with BJC.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights9 records

Direct peers

• Ancient Song Doula Services: New York/New Jersey-based Black-led doula collective providing full-spectrum doula care and a doula training program targeting BIPOC families. Closest analog to Jamaa on doula training pipeline + culturally-congruent care for Black mothers.
• Mamatoto Village: Washington, D.C.–based BIPOC-led perinatal support nonprofit offering doula services, childbirth education, and home-visiting maternal support. Directly comparable community-based model serving families of color, with similar mix of direct services, training, and policy advocacy.
• Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery: Jennie Joseph's Florida-based midwifery school and birth center model focused on reducing disparities through community midwifery. Highly comparable on midwifery education + clinical midwifery care serving Medicaid and low-income populations.
• International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC): Portland-based Black midwifery organization promoting traditional Black midwifery and training midwives of color. Highly comparable on community-based midwifery training pipeline and cultural-ancestry framing.
• Mama Glow Foundation: Black-founded doula training and maternal health advocacy organization offering certification programs and culturally-centered childbirth education. Comparable on training pipeline and cultural-preservation mission.
• Roots Community Birth Center: Minneapolis-based Black-led birth center offering midwifery and postpartum care for BIPOC families in a similar community-anchored facility model. Direct comparable as a Black-founded midwifery clinic/birth center serving a defined regional market.

Emerging players

• Black Mamas Matter Alliance: National Black women-led cross-sector alliance advancing maternal health, rights, and justice. Comparable on Black maternal-health mission and policy advocacy, but a coalition/advocacy body rather than a service-delivery operator.
• National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC): National nonprofit focused on Black maternal-infant health through research, advocacy, and training. Adjacent peer — comparable on policy/advocacy and Black maternal health framing, but operates nationally rather than as a single-site clinical provider.
• Birthing Project USA: Community-based volunteer doula/sister-friend model serving pregnant women of color across multiple U.S. sites. Comparable on community-volunteer doula model and focus on women of color, but operates as a distributed volunteer network rather than a single clinic.

Regional players

• CHOICES Memphis Center for Reproductive Health: Memphis-based nonprofit providing midwifery, doula, and reproductive health care with a midwifery-led birth center model. Comparable on nonprofit clinical model integrating midwifery and education, though located in a different region.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jamaabirth
• Facebookfacebook.com/jamaabirthvillage
• Instagraminstagram.com/jamaabirthvillage

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jamaa Birth Village