RHEF Systems Change grants

About RHEF Systems Change Grants

RHEF Systems Change grants were the second of two funding cycles for the Reproductive Health Equity Fund. (For more about Rapid Response Grants, see this page.) Systems Change grants provide funds to address systemic changes needed to create a more equitable reproductive healthcare infrastructure in Oregon over the long term. These grants prioritize programs that focus on the unmet needs of communities most impacted by reproductive health care inequities. 

Definitions and Examples of Systems Change Grants

Systems Change work addresses root causes of reproductive health disparities (rather than symptoms) by transforming structures, culture and mindsets, and power dynamics and policies. 

Systems change can be accomplished by strengthening collective power of impacted communities through education, base building, leadership development, research and collaboration to address / improve reproductive healthcare outcomes for Oregonians.

Minimum Grant Amount: $100,000
Maximum Grant Amount: $1,000,000

Meet the Grantees

Awards were made to address systemic changes needed to create a more equitable reproductive healthcare infrastructure in Oregon over the long term. Among them is the establishment of an abortion funding navigation pilot program by Northwest Abortion Access Fund (NWAAF) to increase access to direct financial support for abortion patients from marginalized communities who can’t afford the full cost of their care. Also new is support for Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to execute a comprehensive research study to measure the scope and impact of barriers to care on underserved populations in Oregon.

RHEF Systems Change Awards summary

Basic Rights OregonTransgender Oregonian Healthcare Needs Research ProjectTo establish the first ever statewide education campaign in Oregon featuring transgender and gender expansive Oregonians, using storytelling to elevate and center the voices of diverse members of this community to counter harmful lies circulating in the news media across the nation. This is a collaboration between Basic Rights Oregon, Black and Beyond the Binary Collective, UTOPIA PDX and TransPonder.
Black Food Sovereignty CoalitionQTBIPOC Herbs for Sexual Liberation and Reproductive Sovereignty ProjectTo increase access to gender-affirming, holistic wellness support for reproductive health through a herbal wellness train-the-trainer program, using an on-farm, herb-specific curriculum to train a cohort of BIPOC and queer Community Health Workers on comprehensive herbal wellness approaches. A collaboration between the Black Food Sovereignty Coalition and the Black and Brown Herb Exchange.
Center for Intercultural Organizing DBA Unite OregonReproductive Health Justice & Systems Change: Reducing Reproductive Health Inequities & Improving Reproductive Health Outcomes for Immigrants, Refugees and BIPOC in OregonTo reduce reproductive health disparities in immigrant, refugee and BIPOC populations in the Rogue Valley, Washington County, and Multnomah County. including improving maternal and birth outcomes, promoting reproductive and sexual health screenings and referrals, increasing access to culturally responsive reproductive health information, decreasing unintended pregnancy rates, and mobilizing communities to use their voices to advocate for reproductive health justice.
Doulas Latinas InternationalAlliance for Childbearing & Health Equity Reproductive Humanizaded Birth Justice (ACHE”-RHBJ)To serve Latino immigrants families, mothers and babies to achieve reproductive justice by training low-income Latina women to become doulas and to create two Centers for Education & Support for Humanized Birth & Reproductive Justice in rural areas of Oregon (Eastern Oregon and Willamette Valley) where there are a high concentration of Latino families and youth but minimal reproductive health services. As well, to advocate for policy changes to create an Oregon movement to support humanized birth and reproductive justice, and create train-the-trainer curricula for indigenous American immigrants to become doulas.
Future Generations CollaborativeReproductive Health and Gender-Affirming Care CurriculumTo address reproductive health disparities and supporting gender-affirming care by creating culturally specific curricula with a trauma and healing-informed lens.
La ClinicaIncreasing Access to Gender-Affirming Healthcare in Southern OregonTo expand and improve gender-affirming care in Southern Oregon by integrating affirming medical and behavioral health services into non-for-profit primary care clinics in the Rogue Valley, replacing the old model of separating out transgender health care as a specialty area.
Latino NetworkReproductive Justice Organizing for Health and EducationTo drive systemic change in health equity outcomes for the Latinx community through expanded advocacy in support of culturally aware, science-based, comprehensive sexuality education for youth and families.
Latinos Unidos SiempreReproductive Liberation ProjectTo support youth-led organizing, education, and leadership development to address reproductive health iniquities in diverse Latinx and Latin American Indigenous communities, using culturally responsive education models for both youth and parents, as well as increase capacity to train certified Community Health Workers serving the Latinx community in Oregon.
Micronesian Islander CommunityNavigating Birth Stories of Micronesians: Barriers to Access and Utilization of Reproductive CareTo conduct qualitative research to learn about the birth and reproductive health experiences of members of the Micronesian Islander community in the Northwest vs. on their respective home islands, and to use that research to develop a series of culturally-informed outreach and educational workshops on reproductive health centered on the unique needs of this community.
Northwest Abortion Access Fund (+ pilot program recipients)Abortion Funding Network PilotTo pilot building a network of abortion funding and practical support coordinators embedded in culturally-specific community-led organizations who work directly with the Northwest Abortion Access Fund (NWAAF) to support their community members to access financial and practical support for abortions. Project goals are to: reach and support communities most impacted by abortion access barriers; build capacity and center leadership of community-based organizations as safe, trusted, connected resources for abortion access; reduce hurdles and hassle for abortion seekers/ and innovate and scale sound practices for growing the abortion access ecosystem.
OHSUMeasuring Reproductive Health Equity in OregonFor a portfolio of studies that would be conducted using both qualitative and quantitative methods to identify where inequities in reproductive health are concentrated in Oregon, and among which communities.
Oregon Community Health Workers AssociationCommunity Health Workers: Advancing Abortion Access & Reproductive JusticeTo increase access to culturally, linguistically, and community-centered reproductive health, abortion, and gender-affirming care services by developing curriculum and training for community health workers focused on reproductive health access and equity.
Oregon Health Equity AllianceOregon Tri-County QTBIPOC Reproductive Justice & Gender-Affirming Care Needs AssessmentTo conduct a comprehensive community health needs assessment focused on the reproductive and gender-affirming care needs and strengths of queer and trans communities of color in the tri-county region including Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties in Oregon, using an approach that foregrounds storytelling, capacity-building, and data justice.
Oregon School-Based Health AllianceImproving Youth Access to Reproductive Health Services at SchoolsTo support school-based health centers in Oregon to conduct outreach and education, youth and family engagement, and workforce development to combat misinformation, defend minor consent laws, support school board champions, and develop guidance on navigating discrimination and ignorance within health systems.
Ostara InitiativeImplementing Prison Doula Care in OregonTo create a prison birth project at Coffee Creek Correctional Institution that will provide incarcerated birthing people with a culturally-specific birthing care group and 1:1 prenatal and postpartum doula care.
Outside InGender Diverse Training & EquipmentTo increase access to reproductive and gender-affirming health services at Outside In’s primary care clinic, while also increasing the quality of care through evidence-based training for medical providers; to purchase the clinic’s first ultrasound machine so that patients needing reproductive health exams are not cast out of care for this basic service; and to purchase a laser hair removal machine, making the community clinic the first in Portland to offer this service to Gender Diverse patient population and reducing stigma for transgender and gender diverse patients while also increasing their ability to receive high quality reproductive and primary care.
Planned Parenthood of Columbia WillametteInvestments in Health Equity to Advance Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health for Priority PopulationsTo train licensed providers, community health workers, and youth, families and community service providers, with a focus on supporting marginalized populations to access reproductive healthcare. Training topics include health care interpretation, health equity, community health and reproductive justice.
Pride Foundation- Queer Data ProjectQueer Data ProjectTo catalyze systemic change and reduce the disproportionate barriers to high quality reproductive care faced by Oregon’s large and rapidly growing LGBTQIA2S+ community by furnishing comprehensive, accessible, actionable, and intersectional data about LGBTQIA2S+ healthcare experiences in Oregon through a community-led data project.
South Coast Equity CoalitionSouth Coast Reproductive JusticeTo transform reproductive healthcare structures in the South Coast region through a justice-oriented community research process to develop responsive, research-based strategies for addressing key barriers to care including transportation, cost and insurance navigation, provider turn-over, and stigma; through workforce development training and the creation of a medical scholarship for BIPOC/LGBTQIA2S+ students; and through advocacy work to elevate rural community voices.
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health CenterVGMHC Reproductive Health Equity and Gender-Affirming Care TrainingTo improve culturally-responsive and language-accessible access to care for those seeking vasectomies and long-acting, reversible contraceptives, and for patients who are transgender/non-binary. The project, at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, will train and proctor physicians to perform vasectomies and LARC procedures and train patient-facing employees in principles of gender-affirming care.

Spring 2025 Awards

Cultural Heritage Partners 
 Legal and Policy Work around Reproductive Justice For the development of policy and legal work toward Reproductive Justice in Native American communities and beyond.
FemForward Health
 Reproductive Health Services For provision of reproductive health services.
OHSU, DCH Gender Clinic Gender-Affirming Care Services For Doernbecher Children’s Hospital’s pediatric endocrinology department’s work on gender-affirming care for children, teens, and young adults. 
OHSU Reproductive Health Services For provision of reproductive health services.
Ostara Initiative Implementing Prison Doula Care in Oregon For a prison birth project at Coffee Creek Correctional Institution.
Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette Reproductive Health Services For provision of reproductive health services.
Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon Reproductive Health Services For provision of reproductive health services.
The Lilith Clinic Reproductive Health Services For provision of reproductive health services.
The Raven Collective Gender-Affirming Care Model Development for Tribal Nations To build Tribal/Urban Indian healthcare centers’ capacity to meet the needs of Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ tribal community members.