Black Student Midwife Scholarship Fund - Frequently Asked Questions
Who should apply?
Black identified midwife students, recently graduated midwives and newly licensed midwives living in and planning to serve California families. Specifically:
- Students in California enrolled in a Medical Board of California approved midwifery program, and who have a preceptor agreement or
- CPMs who have graduated from a Medical Board of California approved program, and have applied or are soon to apply for a California midwife license (within last 6 months), or
- Newly licensed midwife (within last year).
Check here for the list of Medical Board of California approved schools and Challenge Programs.
What documents will I need to have ready to upload when filling out an application?
First decide which application best fist your situation and then you will want to have the following documents ready to upload:
| Proof of California residence | Proof of California residence | Proof of California residence |
| Two letters of recommendation | One letter of recommendation | One letter of recommendation |
| Proof of enrollment in a California Medical Board approved midwifery school/program | Proof of graduation from a California MBC Approved Midwifery School/Program | License number |
| Signed preceptor agreement | Headshot | Headshot |
| Headshot | Statement of Intention video** (Optional) | Statement of Intention video** (Optional) |
| Resume (Optional) | Resume (Optional) | Resume (Optional) |
| Statement of Intention video** (Optional) |
**Video Statement of Intent: who are you, why are you applying and how do you intend to serve the California birthing community with your midwifery training and education. Please limit your video to 3 minutes.
How long does it take to complete the application(s)?
We don’t know yet. Tell us how long it took you, please: admin@advancingmidwifery.org. We appreciate your feedback.
Can I save and continue later or should I be prepared to complete in one sitting?
We recommend you be prepared to complete all at once. See above for all the documents you’ll want to assemble beforehand. Here are the questions for each of the applications. See the next question for links to each of the three applications.
May I review the questions and draft up my answers before I sit down to fill out the application?
Yes, a copy of each of the three the applications are here:
Where can I send folks who want to donate to the fund?
Please send them to Californians for the Advancement of Midwifery website.
Can I complete the application with a cell phone, ipad or will I need a computer?
We recommend you complete the application from a laptop or computer.
What are the application deadlines and dates I’ll need to know:
- Deadline for applications is August 18;
- Applications reviewed and selections made in Mid-September;
- Sep 30-announce winners
- Awards distributed first week of October
May I apply for more than one of the three scholarships?
Please choose the one most appropriate scholarship for your situation: student, graduate applying for license, or newly licensed midwife
How many scholarships are planned for 2023?
- 1 each - $5,000 Black Student Midwife Scholarship,
- 1 each - $500 Licensing Fee Grants; and
- 1 each - $1,000 Practice Startup Capital
- Maximum of 10 - $100 gift certificates to qualified applicants who are not chosen for one of the above three awards
Are there any benefits given to applicants who do not get chosen for the scholarships. Yes, every qualified applicant who doesn’t win one of the three larger awards ($5,000, $500 or $1,000) will receive a $100 gift card.
Additionally, all Black student midwives AND Indigenous and midwife students of Color are eligible for honorary CALM membership (funded by CAM) and may attend CALM education webinars as a benefit of CALM membership.