The Reproductive Health Equity Fund, administered by Seeding Justice in Portland, Oregon, has announced grants totaling $5 million to strengthen the state’s abortion care infrastructure and provide support to underserved communities.

Grants were awarded to 18 organizations providing support to underserved communities, including rural, tribal, and undocumented communities; communities of color; unhoused populations; and sex workers. Oregon is one of the few states in the country with no legal restrictions on abortion, yet major barriers to care exist. Over 75 percent of Oregon counties, where 22 percent of women live, have no abortion provider. The funding includes a previously announced $1 million grant to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, as well as $2.4 million to reproductive healthcare providers to upgrade facilities, expand capacity, train abortion providers, and support patients. The remaining $1.7 million was awarded to organizations embedded in historically underserved communities to support expanded outreach and patient navigation services.

“Disparities in access to health care, including reproductive health care, are well documented in Oregon,” said Mariana Garcia Medina, Reproductive Health Equity Fund steering committee co-chair and senior policy associate of ACLU Oregon. “The end of Roe vs. Wade has exacerbated these iniquities. The fund helps individuals in communities that need more support to obtain the care they need and deserve. It’s the start we need, but it’s only the start.”

For a complete list of recipients, see the Reproductive Health Equity website.

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