"A doula provides support consisting of praise, reassurance, measures to improve the comfort of the mother, physical contact such as rubbing the mother’s back and holding her hands, explanation of what is going on during labour and delivery and a constant friendly presence."
Care in Normal Birth: a Practical Guide. Report of a Technical Working Group. World Health Organization, 1996
The Penny Simkin Scholarship Fund was established in 1999 to honor Open Arms founding board member and internationally known author and doula, Penny Simkin. The Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance for aspiring birth doulas, postpartum doulas, and childbirth educators. Scholarships can be applied to approved doula or childbirth educator training courses, course materials, and membership, apprenticeship, or certification fees.
Qualifications to apply for a scholarship:
• You must be 18-years-old and over.
• For training course scholarships, you must plan to certify and begin working as a doula or childbirth educator within 1-year of course completion.
• All scholarships must be for approved courses or organizations, including but not limited to DONA, PALS, or NAPS for doula scholarships and Lamaze, Bradley, ICEA, ALACE, and Birthing From Within for childbirth education scholarships (please inquire further if you are training or certifying with an organization other than those listed here).
To apply for a scholarship: Fill out the online application form, or download the application (140k PDF).
Please note there are limited funds available. Priority is given to applicants who want to serve women and families in need. Scholarships for aspiring midwives or lactation consultants are not currently available.
Scholarships generally range from $35-$275. Please take this into consideration when submitting your application. You may reapply for additional scholarships/needs at a later date.
Please also note that applications take 4-6 weeks to process. Scholarship requests must be submitted at least 6 weeks prior to the payment deadline.
Mail your completed application to:
Open Arms Perinatal Services
Penny Simkin Scholarship Fund
Attn: Scholarship Committee
2524 16th Avenue South
Room #207-A
Seattle, WA 98144
Donate to the Penny Simkin Scholarship Fund
If you would like to contribute to the Penny Simkin Scholarship Fund, please mail your donation to:
Open Arms Perinatal Services2524 16th Ave. S., Room #207-A
Seattle, WA 98144
Specify that your gift is for the Penny Simkin Scholarship Fund. Please make sure to include your name, address, phone number and email address.
