“Hope is a discipline.”
– Mariame Kaba, abolitionist and former NNAF Summit honoree.

The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September was only the most recent tragedy in the wave of natural and man-made disasters that have threatened abortion access this year. In the midst of this upheaval, we’re grounding ourselves in what connects our struggles and our solutions.

In the reproductive justice framework we’ve found the inspiration to hope and the discipline to act. It reminds us that alongside abortion access, we fight for healthy pregnancies and safe communities in which to raise our families. The devastating impacts of COVID-19, the recession, and the climate crisis have fallen the most heavily on those least protected by our government, particularly Black families long dehumanized by state violence and environmental racism. Mariame Kaba’s words remind us of our collective power to bring a more just world into being.

As we approach what may be the most important election of our lifetimes, we turn inwards and reflect on what abortion funds have always known: we need each other and we’ve got each other. Our hope is not naive. It is bound up in our long history of fighting for each other and caring for each other in equal measure.

When the federal government withholds the resources we need to survive and thrive, abortion funders like you act to fill the gap. You give to ease the burden of others. You organize to build the kind of lasting power needed to resist unjust laws and entrenched systems of racism and misogyny.

In this newsletter, you can see some of the work that we’ve done in 2020, informed by our hope for the future of abortion access and steadfast commitment to meeting the barriers of the current moment. With your support, we’re moving money to the ground through the Abortion Funds Crisis Relief Campaign organized in response to COVID-19, the Collective Power Fund, and Operation Scale Up, our visionary new strategy to strengthen and scale abortion funds. In addition to financial support, we’re investing in the leadership of abortion funds and individual members and holding space for our network to reflect, grieve, and plan. All of that is inside these pages. We live with an uncertain future. But we hold tight to the certainty that abortion funds provide —that there are people who care, who will answer the phone, who will be the compassionate force that moves us towards a new reality.

Thank you for joining us.

Download the Fall 2020 Newsletter in English.

Download the Fall 2020 Newsletter in Spanish.

The Collective Power Fund

On August 7th, 2019, NNAF launched a new direct abortion funding strategy: the Collective Power Fund (CPF). Through the CPF, we make grants to abortion funds that significantly boost cash-on-hand for abortions and practical support. Read more about the Collective Power Fund’s first year impact and hear from three of our grantees.

Operation Scale Up Will Transform Abortion Funding

We envision a future where one phone call will connect anyone seeking an abortion with a compassionate, knowledgeable case manager. That’s why we are proud to announce the next step in our vision for abortion funding support. We call it: Operation Scale Up. Read more.

Update: Abortion Funds Crisis Relief Campaign

In April, NNAF member abortion funds began to report significant increases in calls for assistance. NNAF moved quickly to respond. On May 12th, we announced the Abortion Funds Crisis Relief Campaign. Our goal was to raise $2 million for direct abortion funding. Read more. 

The Need For Abortion Doesn’t Stop During a Crisis

In the spring of 2020, abortion funders and reproductive justice advocates across the nation were on high alert. Needless to say, the crisis that came wasn’t the one we’d anticipated. Read more to see how we took action between March and August.

Creating Space for Our Network to Connect

Caring for each other, sharing resources, and organizing are all life-giving responses to the grief and uncertainty we face each day. NNAF is working hard to create and steward virtual spaces for individual members to connect. One of the ways we’ve done this is to host virtual community care calls. Read more.

Reimagining Fund-a-Thon 2020

In February, abortion funds across our network put a bow on plans for their National Abortion Access Fund-a-Thon events. By March, COVID-19 had spread across the world. Out of care and concern, abortion funds canceled in-person events after months of dedicated planning. Read more.

NNAF’s First Policy Cohort Draws to A Close

In a 2017 survey – long before COVID-19 made socially distanced medical care a national necessity – abortion funds ranked “increasing access to medication abortion” as their second highest policy priority, right after “repealing the Hyde Amendment”. NNAF’s inaugural Policy Cohort grew from the seeds of that survey. Read more. 

The Beauty and Power of Abortion Love

Earlier this year, on the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the National Network of Abortion Funds and organizing powerhouse Forward Together released an image highlighting the power that’s possible when people feel loved and supported in talking about abortions. Read more and view the full image.