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For the Girls Wellness Fund - Equitable Perinatal & Pelvic Health Support
Perinatal physical therapy changes outcomes. Better pregnancies, smoother recoveries, fewer complications. The research is clear.
But access to this care is not equal. For too many women in Los Angeles, especially Black women and families in under-resourced communities, it is simply out of reach.
The For the Girls Wellness Fund exists to change that. We provide free perinatal and pelvic health physical therapy to families who need it, and we are building the infrastructure to make that access last.
Our Mission - Healing, Access, and Equity in Pelvic Health
At the heart of the For the Girls Wellness Fund is a mission to improve maternal health equity and ensure that high-quality perinatal care - including pelvic physical therapy, pregnancy and postpartum support, and reproductive wellness education - is available to women who might otherwise go without. This work is rooted in a commitment to bridging the gaps that disproportionately impact women of color and under-resourced communities.
Our Story — From Initiative to Movement
In 2024, Dr. Sydney Curls received a Village Fund grant to launch the Healthy Parents, Healthy Babies Initiative, providing free perinatal physical therapy to Black mothers in Los Angeles.
The response was immediate. And it was overwhelming.
Women who had never been told PT was an option. Women managing postpartum symptoms years after birth with no support. Women preparing for IVF without access to the physical preparation that could improve their chances.
That response made one thing clear: this could not be a one-time initiative. It had to become something permanent. The For the Girls Wellness Fund is that something.
The Challenge — Why This Work Matters
Black women in the United States are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. This is not a new statistic. It is a persistent, documented, and largely preventable reality.
Perinatal physical therapy is one of the interventions with strong evidence behind it. It improves birth outcomes, reduces postpartum complications, supports pelvic health recovery, and gives women the education and body awareness to advocate for themselves through the healthcare system.
And in most of Los Angeles, it costs several hundred dollars a session with no insurance coverage.
That is the gap the For the Girls Wellness Fund is closing.
Our Solution — Care, Education, and Community
The For the Girls Wellness Fund does three things.
Free perinatal PT and wellness services for families who need it. When funding is available, we open applications to families in the Los Angeles area who cannot afford perinatal or pelvic floor physical therapy. Sessions are provided by Dr. Sydney Curls at no cost. Applications are announced when a new funding cycle opens.
BeginWELL Doula fellowship sponsorship. In collaboration with Humbled By Parenthood, the Fund sponsors doula fellows serving Los Angeles County, building a community of highly trained perinatal support providers for under-resourced families.
Education and provider training. We work to ensure that more health and wellness professionals understand pelvic health, can identify when a patient needs PT, and know how to refer them. Better-informed providers mean better outcomes across the board.
Our Impact — Empowering Women Through Access
Since launching in 2024, the For the Girls Wellness Fund has provided nearly 100 free perinatal physical therapy care plans in the Los Angeles area to women who received care they could not have otherwise accessed. Nearly 100 pregnancies, recoveries, and pelvic health journeys supported. The need is much higher, and that is why our work must continue.
This is what the Fund looks like in practice. And we are just getting started.
Get Involved — Support the Movement
The For the Girls Wellness Fund runs on funding, partnerships, and community. Here is how to be part of it.
Donate. Every dollar goes directly toward our free programming for families in Los Angeles. We are currently building our donation infrastructure and will have a direct giving link available soon. In the meantime, reach out at hello@drcurlsforthegirls.com to learn how to contribute.
Fund or partner with us. We are actively seeking grant funders, foundation partners, and corporate sponsors who are invested in maternal health equity and community wellness in Los Angeles. If that is you, we would like to talk.
Collaborate. If you are a provider, doula, midwife, OB, or community organization working with underserved perinatal populations in LA, we want to build with you. Referral relationships and community partnerships are how this work scales.
Spread the word. Many women who qualify for free care do not know it exists. Sharing this page is a simple, direct way to change that.
To get in touch about any of the above, email hello@drcurlsforthegirls.com.