Minnesota Prison Doula Project

Minnesota knows how to show up for people!

Our annual giving holiday, Give to the Max Day, is evidence of that. 

Big or small, your help answers the call. 

Can you pledge $20?

(or any amount!) 

to meet our goal of raising $20,000 before we welcome 2024?

We're dreaming big.

Incarceration rates continue to rise, and our services inside facilities across MN continue to be essential. 

We're focused on reentry support for parents leaving incarceration more than ever.

We could not continue working in compassionate solidarity with parents involved in the criminal legal system to create community, opportunity, and change without the support of our beautiful community.

The Minnesota Prison Doula Project (MPDP) seeks to bring comfort, support, and dignity to incarcerated mothers and their newborns. The Department of Corrections, Bureau of Prisons, and birth workers nationwide look to us as thought leaders to improve outcomes for parents impacted by incarceration. 

Our clients experience improved parent/child experiences, reduced maternal morbidity, and increased breastfeeding initiation and continuation, along with reduced trauma. 

We’re on a path to end prison birth in America through: 

• Doula Care
• Prenatal and parenting education
• One-on-one Counseling
• Lactation support
• Supportive Visitation
• Support for re-entry

In 2024, we will continue doing the deep work of making this support truly accessible, sustainable, and inclusive for families impacted by incarceration by providing:

• 14 Scholarships for prison doula training

• Health and retirement benefits for our staff

• Train 50 doulas inside federal prisons via our Vocational Doula Program 

• Adding 2 admin staff to support our growing team.  

Will you become a revolutionary funder to help us reach $20k?

Your generosity makes way for greater justice and liberation– ensuring every child, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, has a fair start in life.

Not everyone is called to carry out this sacred work directly. 

Your gift is 100% tax deductible. 

Together, we can do better.

Your generosity makes a significant difference in the lives of countless mothers, parents, and babies– today, and for generations. 

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The Minnesota Prison Doula Project (MnPDP) was founded in 2008. We provide support and education services to incarcerated parents across Minnesota. We work inside correctional facilities, offering doula services, prenatal & parenting education, individual peer counseling, supportive in-person visitation, re-entry support groups.

Ostara Initiative (OI) is the parent organization of MnPDP and also the Alabama Prison Birth Project. We exist to collectively transform systems by reimagining justice, advancing health, and reclaiming dignity in our policies and practices for all pregnant and parenting people.