Reproductive Health Impact to Close

Dear Friends,

It is with heavy hearts that we share an important update with you regarding the future of Reproductive Health Impact: The Collaborative for Equity & Justice (RH Impact).

After careful consideration and an exhaustive search for viable alternatives, the Executive Leadership of RH Impact, along with its fiscal sponsor The Praxis Project, Inc., have made the very difficult decision to close the organization and cease operations due to insufficient unrestricted funding to support general operations— including staff salaries.

As a result, RHI’s final day of operations will officially be July 31, 2024.

Between now and June 28, however, RH Impact (RHI) staff members’ employment will end as they complete key deliverables and funds for their specific positions are exhausted. RHI will also begin winding down its contracts and other financial commitments in a responsible manner at this time.

We remain committed to supporting RHI’s employees as best we can during this difficult season of transition and a small subset of RHI staff and projects will be transferred to sister organizations while another subset of RHI staff will remain employed by Praxis, our fiscal sponsor, beyond the closure. These staff members will continue to perform their work under the Praxis name and brand, as RH Impact will be retired. They will work on research projects and programs currently supported by long-term contracts. However, the duration of that work is contingent on securing additional funds.

Despite the many challenges the team has faced, RHI has been steadfast and dedicated to challenging systemic inequities and achieving reproductive health equity in collaboration with communities and partners like you.

In spite of this heart-breaking decision to cease operations, we fully expect that our team of brilliant colleagues will remain committed to centering Black women’s lived experiences, scholarship, and activism in future projects and efforts related to reproductive justice and the Black maternal health/infant crises.

Our hope is that partners like you will continue to support and uplift this work by considering how you can engage these individuals as they move forward in these spaces. Whether through job placement, mentorship, networking opportunities, etc. we still need you to be in the fight with us and these phenomenal individuals who have so much more to bring to this critically important work.

We deeply appreciate your unwavering support of RH Impact’s mission and your partnership throughout this journey. While this outcome was not what we hoped for, we are proud of what we achieved together. We have made a meaningful impact, and that is something to be celebrated.

If you have any questions or wish to discuss the transition in more detail, some members of our team will be available to answer questions through June 28.

After June 28, we defer you to Praxis (Ariel Cohen, Sr. Director of Fiscal Sponsorship and Infrastructure at: ariel@thepraxisproject.org or Susan Pagels, Sr. Director of Finance at: susan@thepraxisproject.org) for any questions or additional follow-up support.

Thank you once again for your partnership and understanding during this difficult time.

In service to the greater good,
RH Impact Executive Leadership Team