March of Dimes’ Mom and Baby Action Network (M-BAN) held its first hybrid summit in late October, where it convened over 450 partners in Atlanta, GA and virtually. Participants gathered to build community, strengthen relationships, get inspired, share and learn best practices and policies, and mobilize for action in alignment with the five strategies in the National Equity Framework. Attendees heard from subject matter experts and community partners present from across the U.S. on a myriad of topics while also having opportunities to volunteer and advocate for maternal and infant health in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Following this part of the summit, approximately 100 philanthropic foundations strategized on how to unlock resources to accelerate birth equity for every family. Foundations attending included W.K. Kellogg Foundation, J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Foundation, bi3, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Community Health Acceleration Partnership, and Grantmakers in Health. “With support from the CDC and other valuable funding partners, so many incredible colleagues from so many organizations across the nation came together to help advance our collective cause. Wee recommitted to our shared vision that ‘together we can achieve what we cannot achieve alone’,” said Dr. Jordana Frost, Director, Strategic Partnerships, M-BAN.