irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2022
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $202KIRTH AMBASSADORS PROGRAM:Activating local doulas and birth workers to lead and conduct immersive community engagment to reach review completion rates increase user acquisition and retention for the app (data collection tool).
- #2 $108KBirthright Podcast:Audio-journalism podcast focused on joyful Black birth stories and healing experiences for victims of birth trauma as a counter narrative to mainstream media's doom and gloom approach to Black maternal health coverage.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Birthright Podcast
Audio-journalism podcast highlighting joyful Black birth stories and healing experiences for victims of birth trauma, offering a counter-narrative to mainstream media coverage.
Irth Ambassadors Program
Program activating local doulas and birth workers to lead community engagement efforts and improve user acquisition and retention for the Irth app.
Irth App
Consumer application that allows users to share and find reviews of maternity care experiences based on intersectional identity factors such as race, class, gender, and insurance type, to counter bias in healthcare.
Maternal and Child Health Communication Collective
Consortium of W.K. Kellogg Foundation grantees and stakeholders creating multimedia content and coordinated campaigns to shift narratives around maternal health and counter misinformation.
Youth Health Storytellers Training
Program educating, training, and mentoring youth to become the next generation of health storytellers through digital storytelling and multimedia content creation.
activities · 9 groups
What they do
-
Community Health Equity Initiatives 2 activities
- Provide hospitals with community-centered equity assessmentsProvides hospitals with customized, hyper-local data reports and an independent, community-centered framework to assess Black and brown patient experiences and support quality improvement in maternal care.
- Support hospital equity initiatives with data-driven technical assistanceUses patient experience data to support the development of hospital trainings, technical assistance, and quality improvement projects focused on delivering equitable care.
-
-
Perinatal Support Services 1 activity
- Conduct community outreach via doulas and birth workersActivates local doulas and birth workers to lead community engagement and outreach efforts that increase user acquisition, retention, and engagement with the Irth app.
-
-
Support for Investigative and Independent Journalism 1 activity
- Develop and deliver racial equity communication trainingsProvides racial equity training and technical assistance to health journalists and organizations on equitable health communication practices and strategies to address health disparities.
-
-
Reproductive Health Advocacy & Education 1 activity
- Establish Maternal and Child Health Communication CollectiveEstablishes the Maternal and Child Health Communication Collective to counter misinformation and shift narratives around maternal and child health in African American communities through multimedia content, communication campaigns, webinars, and trainings.
-
-
Flexible Grants to Grassroots Organizations 1 activity
- Fund youth digital storytelling trainings and internshipsFunds trainings and internships for tweens and young adults to produce digital storytelling and multimedia content on health disparities, as part of a grantmaking initiative.
-
-
Documentary Film Production 1 activity
- Produce narrative-centered multimedia contentCo-creates culturally relevant, narrative-centered, multi-media communication by and for people of color to address health disparities, including customized multimedia content packages focused on Black and Latino communities.
-
-
Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
- Produce podcast on Black birth experiencesProduces an audio-journalism podcast featuring joyful Black birth stories and healing from birth trauma, incorporating research and firsthand accounts to educate and inspire Black women, birthing people, and healthcare providers.
-
-
Youth & Emerging Filmmaker Training 1 activity
- Train youth as health storytellersEducates, trains, and mentors youth to become health storytellers through funded internships and digital storytelling programs focused on health disparities.
-
-
Uncategorized 3 activities
- Advocate for equitable infant feeding policiesAdvocates in public discourse against corporate profit motives that harm maternal and infant health, including lobbying by breast milk substitute manufacturers against WHO resolutions and political contributions influencing infant feeding decisions.
- Develop and operate Irth platformDevelops and operates Irth, a digital platform that enables individuals to screen healthcare providers for implicit bias related to race, class, gender identity, marital status, and sexual orientation in maternal care settings.
- Generate data on patient experiences of biasGenerates qualitative and quantitative data from patient-reported experiences of racism and bias in maternal care to inform anti-bias initiatives and quality improvement efforts in hospitals.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$1.44M
Contributions & grants$1.24M86%
Program service revenue$197K14%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$1.69M
Program expenses100%
Admin / overhead0%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$561K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$715K
Cash$707K
Investments$0
Liabilities$30K
Net assets$685K
Liquid reserves5.0 mo
7 years on record · 2019–2025 · YoY revenue +1409.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KIMBERLY ALLERS | President | 40 | $87K |
relationships · 17
Who they work with
- Apple Podcasts Partner — Distributes the Birthright podcast through its platform.
- Foundations or organizations with an interest or focus on a certain health disparity Partner — Partners with foundations or organizations to create multimedia content using participatory and narrative methods to address health disparities.
- Grove Foundation Funder — Provided a $100,000 grant to support the development of the Irth app.
- Healthcare companies Partner — Partners with healthcare companies to commission media projects exploring health disparities from a contextual and prescriptive perspective.
- Hofstra University Partner — Hosted the NY Health Challenge where Irth received prize funding.
- Irth Partner — Collaborates on the Irth Ambassador Program to increase app user acquisition and retention through community engagement led by doulas and birth workers.
- Irth Partner — Collaborates with Irth to collect and analyze patient-reported data on bias and racism in maternal care.
- Irth Partner — Platform developed and operated to collect and share reviews of maternal healthcare experiences, particularly focused on racial and social bias.
- MIT Partner — Hosted the hackathon where Irth won the Media for Change Award.
- Maternal & Child Health Communication Collective Coalition — Narrative Nation Inc. is part of this national consortium focused on improving maternal and child health communication strategies.
- Media companies Partner — Partners with media companies to fund trainings for young health journalists as pipeline programs to improve diversity in health journalism.
- Public health organizations Partner — Partners with public health organizations to fund solutions journalism projects that serve as resources for practitioners and health professionals.
- Tara Health Foundation Funder — Provided a $200,000 grant to support the development of the Irth app.
- The Mocha Manual Company, Inc. Partner — Collaborates with Mocha Manual to launch and lead the Maternal and Child Health Communication Collective.
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation Funder — Provides financial support to The MCH Communication Collective.
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation Government — Kimberly Seals Allers was named an IATP Food and Community Fellow, a leadership program of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation Government — Receives funding and collaborates with WKKF grantees through the Maternal and Child Health Communication Collective.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- By Us For Us Narrative Co-Creationmethodology: by_us_for_usBy co-creating narrative-centered communications with and for people of color, we produce more resonant and effective health messaging that drives behavioral change, because culturally grounded stories from within affected communities build trust and counter dominant-culture narratives that marginalize lived experience.
- Experiential Data Platform for Systemic Accountabilitymethodology: experiential_sharing_platformBy collecting and sharing patient-reported experiences of bias in maternal care through a user-generated review platform, we produce greater accountability and quality improvement in healthcare systems, because lived-experience data reveals patterns of inequity that clinical metrics alone miss and empowers individuals with similar identities to make informed care decisions.
- Joy-Centered Resistance in Narrative Framingmethodology: joy_centered_resistanceBy centering joy and positive stories of birth in Black communities, we produce transformative resistance to deficit narratives and build collective confidence, because affirming positive experiences counters trauma-based framing and fosters agency and resilience in pursuit of birth equity.
- Narrative-Centered Communication for Behavioral Shiftmethodology: narrative_centered_communicationBy using narrative and human storytelling instead of data-centric communication, we produce greater engagement and health behavior change in marginalized communities, because stories rooted in cultural experience are more relatable and motivating than abstract statistics shaped by dominant cultural norms.
- Strategic Communication for Systemic Changemethodology: strategic_communication_for_systemic_changeBy deploying strategic, narrative-driven messaging alongside direct service, we produce systemic shifts in maternal and child health, because communication that reframes public understanding complements on-the-ground efforts and amplifies impact beyond individual interventions.