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About Dove Baby Community Care Grants
The Dove Baby Community Care Grants program is an initiative to provide financial grants of $10,000 to support ten community-led organizations delivering critical, culturally sensitive postpartum care. Dove Baby Community Care Grants are managed and fiscally sponsored by Players Philanthropy Fund, a 501(c)3 public charity based in Towson, MD.
Dove Baby created the Community Care Grants to help address gaps in postpartum care—one of the most critical and often underserved parts of the maternal health journey. Too many families lose consistent support after leaving the hospital, despite the fact that the majority of maternal health deaths occur in the year following birth. Through this program, Dove Baby is supporting community-based organizations that provide trusted, culturally sensitive postpartum care, helping more parents access the support they need during this important time.
Dove Baby Community Care Grants was developed by Dove Baby with guidance from leading maternal care organizations Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Every Mother Counts, and Sista Midwife Productions. With their expertise and input, we shaped the program to reflect what families truly need—from defining what meaningful impact looks like to helping inform an equitable selection process. Their guidance helps ensure this work is grounded in real experiences and community needs, informed by maternal health expertise, and focused on reaching the communities most affected by gaps in postpartum care. We’re grateful to these leading maternal health advocates for their valuable guidance and continued work to advance equitable care.
No. Dove Baby supports the importance of clinical care and encourages families to seek medical guidance from healthcare providers. We also know that postpartum interventions are proven, critical parts of recovery after birth, and believe care should extend beyond clinical visits to reflect the full range of support moms and families need after birth. This includes physical recovery, guidance around infant feeding and lactation, sleep support, mental health and emotional wellness support, doula support, community-based peer support networks, as well as social connection and everyday support that helps new parents navigate this transition. The Dove Baby Community Care Grants are designed to complement, not replace, clinical care by supporting nonprofit organizations based in the 50 US/DC delivering critical, culturally sensitive postpartum care.
Addressing the maternal care gap is an ongoing journey for Dove Baby. We aim to continue the Dove Baby Community Care Grants to support considerate and community-driven postpartum care for every parent, and are taking time to continue to learn more before developing a long-term plan.
Program Details
To be eligible for a Dove Baby Community Care Grant, your organization must:
- Operate within any of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, delivering local or regional services
- Be a nonprofit organization based in the 50 US/DC recognized as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and not classified as a private foundation, or operate under fiscal sponsor that meets these same requirements and has sponsored the Eligible Organization’s program for at least one year
- Deliver programming that has a primary or significant focus on supporting postpartum individuals and families through direct services and/or capacity-building models within one or more of the eligible service categories listed in the Eligibility section of the application and the Official Rules
- Be able to demonstrate measurable impact in the communities they serve
- Demonstrate a commitment to serving historically underserved or marginalized populations experiencing disproportionate maternal health outcomes, including but not limited to under-resourced, rural, and low-income communities
- Seek to use funds to expand the effectiveness, scale, and/or reach of their postpartum care programming
- Have an annual operating budget of $2,000,000 or less
Please review the Eligibility section of the application and the Official Rules for complete eligibility requirements.
We are looking to support nonprofit organizations and fiscally sponsored programs based in the 50 United States or the District of Columbia that have a primary or significant focus on postpartum care. Eligible organizations may provide direct services to postpartum individuals and families, train and support postpartum care providers, or strengthen community-based postpartum care systems. We are particularly interested in organizations that serve communities experiencing disproportionate maternal health challenges and can demonstrate meaningful impact in the communities they serve. Please see the ‘Eligibility’ section on the application page and the Official Rules for more information.
Grant funding may be used to support and expand postpartum care programming. Examples include staff time, training and professional development, supplies and materials, participant outreach, transportation support, technology that directly supports program delivery, and other expenses that strengthen postpartum care services and increase reach or impact. Funding may not be used for capital projects, endowments, lobbying activities, debt repayment, fundraising overhead, or activities unrelated to postpartum care during the first year following birth. Please see the ‘Funding Use’ section on the application page and the Official Rules for more details.
Each selected organization will receive a one-time $10,000 grant. The grant amount was designed to provide meaningful, flexible support to community-based organizations while allowing Dove Baby to invest in multiple organizations serving families across different communities and geographies. The program is intended to help organizations expand, strengthen, or increase the reach of existing postpartum care programming.
To apply, download and complete the fillable application PDF available on the application page. Save the PDF locally to your computer so you can save your progress and complete the application at your own pace during the application period.
Before submitting, use the validation feature within the PDF to ensure all required fields are completed and responses meet the specified word count requirements. Once complete, return to the application page to provide your contact information and upload your completed PDF. If your organization operates under a fiscal sponsor, you must also upload a signed acknowledgment from your fiscal sponsor confirming the relationship and willingness to manage the grant on your organization's behalf if selected.
All applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on December 11, 2026. Please review the Official Rules for complete submission requirements.
The application window is open for five weeks. Please see the ‘Timing’ section on the application page for exact dates.
Applications will first be reviewed to confirm they meet the program's eligibility requirements. If the number of eligible applications exceeds 40, a random drawing will be conducted by the program administrator to select 40 applications for evaluation. Those selected will then be reviewed by a panel of judges using established judging criteria outlined in the Official Rules. Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Every Mother Counts, and Sista Midwife Productions will participate in the evaluation process alongside Dove Baby with support from its program administrator. Final grant recipients will be selected based on the judging criteria. Please see Official Rules for full Judging Criteria.
If your organization is selected, you, an authorized representative of your organization, and an authorized representative of your organization’s fiscal sponsor (if applicable) will be required to complete additional documentation to verify eligibility and accept the grant. You will also be required to provide an IRS determination letter confirming 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status of either your organization or your fiscal sponsor (as applicable). You may also be required to provide additional eligibility certifications, or other required documents. Please review the Official Rules for complete grant acceptance requirements.
Don Jagoda Associates (our program administrator) conducts follow up outreach to initially selected applicant organizations. If an applicant is unresponsive after outreach and follow up, they will move on to another candidate. The original candidate can still be considered for grants in future years.
After the final selected list of recipients is vetted by Don Jagoda Associates, that list is sent to the fiscal sponsor, Players Philanthropy Fund, at which point recipients will be required to complete additional documentation. Once that documentation is complete and accepted by Players Philanthropy Fund, Players Philanthropy Fund will provide a grant agreement for review and signature. Once the grant agreement is fully executed, Players Philanthropy Fund then remits payment to organizations via ACH or paper checks (at the preference of the final recipients).
Please note that grant funding will be awarded to the eligible 501(c)(3) organization, not the individual applicant. For organizations operating under a fiscal sponsor, funding may be paid directly to the fiscal sponsor for the benefit of the selected organization.
No, Don Jagoda Associates is the program administrator, and Players Philanthropy Fund is a fiscal sponsor of the program. They are not included in external/consumer-facing communications about the initiative.
Organizations selected to receive grants are expected to be notified around early February 2027 by Don Jagoda Associates.
The Dove Baby Community Care Grants program will have one application window in 2026.
At this time, organizations that receive funding through the 2026-2027 program should not assume they will be eligible for funding in future years. Future eligibility criteria will be determined if and when additional funding cycles are announced.
Dove Baby has committed $100,000 in grant funding through the 2026 Dove Baby Community Care Grants program, supporting 10 organizations with $10,000 grants each.
No. There is no maximum number of applications the program will accept during the application period. However, each individual may submit only one application, and only one application may be submitted on behalf of each eligible organization.
We are excited to learn from the inaugural year of the program. Insights from applicants, recipients, partners, and communities will help inform future decisions about the Dove Baby Community Care Grants and other maternal health initiatives. Check back next year for updates and future opportunities.
Supporting parents and families has long been a priority for Dove Baby, and the Community Care Grants Program is one example of how we're continuing that commitment. Through this initiative, we're investing in organizations working to expand access to postpartum care and support for families across the U.S. While decisions regarding future grant cycles have not yet been finalized, Dove Baby remains committed to supporting parents and families and will continue exploring opportunities to create meaningful impact and help address unmet needs in maternal and postpartum care.
Please review the eligibility requirements, application, Official Rules, and FAQs above for answers to questions about the Dove Baby Community Care Grants. We are unable to respond to individual questions or provide application guidance by email. This program is led by Dove Baby - entrants and their organizations should not contact Dove Baby's program partners regarding application questions or the status of an application. Selected recipients will be contacted via email around early February 2027 by Don Jagoda Associates, so be sure to provide an email address in your application that you check regularly.
No purchase necessary. The Dove Baby Community Care Grants Program is sponsored by Conopco, Inc., d/b/a Unilever. Entrants must be legal residents of the 50 US/DC, 18 & older, who are employed by an eligible nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (as defined in the Official Rules as Eligible Organization). Private foundations are not Eligible Organizations. Prizes awarded to Eligible Organizations only. Begins 10:00 a.m. ET on 11/9/26 and ends 11:59 p.m. ET on 12/11/26. For Official Rules, eligibility requirements, and complete details, click here.