A Milestone Moment for San Francisco Birth Center: What we’ve protected together — and what comes next
From Nancy Myrick — SF Birth Center Director and SF Birth Center Foundation Board Member
December 2025
Dear Friends,
I am so thrilled to be a part of the SF Birth Center Foundation. In the last year, the foundation has been at the forefront of keeping our beloved birth center open. Without them, we, like half of the birth centers in California, would likely have closed.
I think we all agree that midwifery care and the community that we have built is such an important service to San Francisco. The SF Birth Center Foundation and its wonderful dedicated supporters are committed to continuing and enriching the services and community we have built.
This year the Foundation achieved a major victory. After ten long months of forms and emails, phone calls and site visits, the State of California has officially licensed the SF Birth Center Foundation. This is an enormous step toward making the birth center sustainable for the long term.
But your support is needed. There are so many worthy causes that will benefit from your generosity, and I hope you will include SF Birth Center Foundation on your list.
Whether it is $50 or $5,000 dollars, or more, your generosity will go directly to support the services and programs that you know and love.
From all of ours to all of yours, Happy Holidays from the SF Birth Center Foundation Board!
Foundation Update: Sustaining Birth Choice in San Francisco
From Monica Levine, Interim President — San Francisco Birth Center Foundation
November 2025
This year has been one of extraordinary perseverance and progress for the San Francisco Birth Center Foundation (SFBC-F). Thanks to the steadfast generosity of our community, the doors of San Francisco’s only nonprofit, midwife-led birth center remain open, serving more than 40 families in 2025 — most of them right here in our city.
As we look toward the end of the year, I want to share what we’ve accomplished together, where we’re headed next, and why your continued partnership matters more than ever.
A Year of Resilience and Renewal
Just two years ago, San Francisco Birth Center faced the possibility of closing. In response, we created the SF Birth Center Foundation — a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every family in our city can access midwife-led, culturally responsive, evidence-based care, regardless of their financial means.
With your support, we not only kept the doors open — we expanded the vision.
- 60+ families received holistic, midwife-led care this year, supported by Foundation grants.
- 75% of families served live right here in San Francisco.
- 3 student midwives trained in our center, gaining hands-on experience in community-based care.
- Postpartum programs and groups continued to connect new parents, guided by Nancy and the midwifery team.
Every one of these moments — every safe, joyful, empowering birth — exists because people like you believed in this model of care.
Licensing, Insurance, and Long-Term Sustainability
Behind the scenes, we’ve been navigating a long and complex process with the California Department of Public Health to transfer facility ownership and licensure to the Foundation. This change is more than paperwork — it’s the key to sustainability.
Once the transfer is complete (and we’re nearly there!), SFBC-F will be able to:
- Directly bill insurance providers, including Medi-Cal, for the facility portion of care.
- Offer income-based discounts to more families who would otherwise be priced out.
- Strengthen insurance reimbursement rates that better reflect the true cost of quality perinatal care.
It’s not glamorous work — but it’s critical. There are only four licensed birth centers in California, a testament to how difficult this process is. With your continued support, SFBC will remain one of them — and serve as a model for others across the state.
Looking Ahead: The “Become the Village” Campaign
We believe every birthing person deserves care that feels safe, personal, and empowering. That belief is at the heart of our year-end campaign, “Become the Village.”
Our goal is to raise $200,000 by December 31 to:
- Subsidize care for families on Medi-Cal or facing hardship.
- Offer competitive salaries that sustain our midwifery team and allow us to serve more families.
- Expand training for midwives from underrepresented communities.
- Keep San Francisco’s only birth center open as a community hub for education and postpartum support.
Every dollar raised goes directly to keeping this model alive — not just for today’s families, but for future generations.
Gratitude and Community
We’re also celebrating the community that makes this possible — donors, volunteers, staff, and families who embody what it means to be the village.
At our recent house gathering, we heard from families whose lives were transformed by the care they received. Their stories — of empowerment, safety, and love — remind us that midwifery care doesn’t just change births. It changes lives.
To everyone who joined us, gave, or shared your story: thank you. Your belief in this mission keeps us moving forward.
Join Us
As we close out the year, I invite you to stand with us once more — to sustain this vital work and ensure that every birthing person in San Francisco has access to the care they deserve.
Together, we are building a future in which all birthing families feel safe, trusted, and celebrated — and where community-centered midwifery is available for generations to come.
San Francisco Birth Center Foundation 