FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Cumberland County is seeking proposals from agencies for birth doula services that will improve health outcomes for pregnant residents and address ongoing disparities among infant and maternal mortality rates. Individuals from agencies and organizations interested in submitting a proposal are welcome to join for two webinars presenting identical information to be held Aug. 6 and 10, 2026.
Birth doulas are trained to provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to birthing women and their partners to help them achieve the healthiest, most satisfying birth experience possible. Research suggests doulas positively impact maternal and infant health outcomes and the overall birth experience.
Cumberland County is soliciting proposals from interested parties through a formal competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The purpose of this RFP is to fund two eligible organizations up to $95,000 each to provide birth doula services to uninsured or underinsured individuals within the county. The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners included funding for this initiative in the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget.
“By continuing to invest in community-based doula services, we believe we can help to reduce the rates of maternal mortality and improve outcomes for babies in our community,” said Dr. Cynthia McArthur-Kearney, Chairwoman of the Cumberland County Board of Health.
Organizations interested in submitting a proposal should go to cumberlandcountync.gov/bids and click on “Bid Opportunities” to find the RFP. The RFP number is 27-3-PH Doulas Services.
The deadline to receive proposals is Monday, Sept. 8, 2026, at 2 p.m. Any questions must be submitted, per instructions in the RFP, by Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, at 2 p.m. The county held two RFP information webinars Aug. 6 (10 a.m.) and Aug. 10 (11 a.m.), for any interested agencies and organizations. Copies of the information slides will be made available upon request for anyone who was unable to attend the information webinars.
Proposals will be accepted from nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, hospital systems, private healthcare providers, Federal Qualified Health Centers and other community-based organizations.
Funded projects must:
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Serve the residents of Cumberland County. Funding cannot be used to serve residents in other counties.
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Agencies must have at least three years of experience providing doula services.
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Hire or contract with two birth doulas certified by an accredited/affiliated organization.
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Utilize evidence-based practices.
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Complete at least one training focused on health equity, health disparities, or social determinants of health to support individual competencies and organizational capacity to promote health equity.
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Provide continuous labor support to at least 30 clients annually.
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Initiate and maintain contact with doula clients as follows: at least three visits during pregnancy; within two days after birth; and within six weeks after birth.
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Provide additional support (postpartum support, additional continuous labor support, or other types of approved birth doula support) for up to 8 additional clients.
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Provide back-up coverage to the second doula contracted or hired with the program to ensure that all clients have continuous labor support.
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A representative of the funded agency must attend bimonthly Perinatal Taskforce meetings held the third Tuesday of every other month at 3 p.m. at the Health Department.
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Collect and submit data at several intervals before, during and after birth, and participate in all coordinated meetings with other funded agencies.
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Provide performance reporting regarding use of funds and project impact on a quarterly basis.
All RFP questions should be referred to Purchasing Manager Sophia Murnahan by email at cumberlandpurchasing@cumberlandcountync.gov or by phone at 910-678-7743. For more information, call 910-433-3707 or visit cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/public-health.