Text-based graphic promoting Black-Owned Mental Health Summit 2023 with logos and images of women.

Before the Breaking Point

What we miss, what isn't safe to say, and what happens next

December 9, 2026, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM PT
Virtual via Zoom. Free to attend.

Proposals due October 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL
VIEW FULL RFP

IMPORTANT DATES

RFP Opens
October 1, 2026

Proposals due
October 31, 2026

Notifications
November 7, 2026

Black perinatal mental health conversations too often begin after a mother is already in crisis. We screen for depression but do not always ask whether she feels safe enough to answer honestly. We make referrals but do not consistently know whether she reaches care.

The 2026 Black Perinatal Mental Health Summit asks presenters and participants to move upstream, before the breaking point. Two concurrent tracks, one for providers and one for mothers and the people who support them, are both grounded in what Black mothers are actually experiencing and what systems are consistently missing.

This is not a general maternal health conference. We are asking for sessions that examine an overlooked problem, challenge an assumption, or give participants something they can use immediately.

Moving upstream, before the crisis

ABOUT THIS SUMMIT

A woman standing at a table engaging in conversation with two women seated behind it. The table is decorated with purple and orange balloons and displays brochures and information. The setting is an indoor walkway with red brick walls and large windows.

Who should submit

  • Licensed mental health professionals, physicians, nurses, midwives, and doulas

  • Birth workers, researchers, and policy leaders

  • Health-system and health-plan representatives

  • Community-based organizations

  • Black mothers, survivors, partners, and family members

Three themes. One direction.

Proposals must respond to at least one of these themes. Sessions should examine an overlooked problem, challenge an assumption, demonstrate a promising approach, or give participants something they can use immediately.

Choose your track

  • Provider Track

    For clinicians, medical providers, birth workers, researchers, health plans, and systems leaders

    Sessions should strengthen assessment, diagnosis, treatment, crisis response, referral completion, care coordination, or systems practice. Participants should leave with a practical tool, framework, or clearly defined next step.

  • Community Track

    For mothers, pregnant and postpartum people, partners, family members, and trusted community supports

    Sessions should translate complex information into practical language participants can use to recognize concerns, ask informed questions, navigate care, and advocate for themselves.

What we are looking for

  • A clear and specific problem, not a general overview of perinatal mental health

  • Current research, sound clinical reasoning, or clearly identified lived experience

  • Culturally responsive content that directly considers the experiences of Black mothers

  • Practical application through tools, scripts, frameworks, demonstrations, or action planning

  • Interactive delivery that respects participants as contributors, not passive listeners

  • Plain language appropriate for the selected track

What will not be prioritized

  • Broad awareness presentations without a clear problem or practical takeaway

  • Sessions that rely on inspiration without evidence, application, or participant engagement

  • Clinical or treatment claims presented outside the speaker's professional scope

  • Content that blames mothers for barriers created by healthcare, insurance, or social systems

  • Product-centered presentations or sales pitches

Your knowledge can shape earlier care

Complete the online proposal form by October 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Accepted presentations will be organized into one-hour thematic blocks with no more than three presenters per block.

Read the full RFP before submitting. It covers proposal requirements, selection priorities, presentation structure, and what to include in your abstract and learning objectives.

SUBMIT PROPOSAL

SUMMIT RECAP

Looking Back

In May 2026, BGMH Foundation and its partners brought 682 attendees together at Compton College. Here is what came of it.

682+ Attendees across three days
96% Rated the Summit satisfactory or above
150 Proposals received for 2026
89 Speakers across 70 sessions
Five women standing on a stage, smiling, with a white screen behind them. The woman on the far left is wearing glasses, a colorful blazer, and jeans. The second woman is dressed in a dark blue dress. The third woman is wearing a beige T-shirt and light-colored pants. The fourth woman has her hair in braids, wearing a floral shirt and blue jeans. The fifth woman, on the far right, has glasses, dreadlocks, and is wearing a large, loose, colorful patterned dress. The stage is decorated with draped pink curtains and a purple glittery tablecloth.
Two women speaking at a religious event on stage with a large screen behind them displaying the text "Black Maternal Mental Health Summit 2023, May 5." The stage has red, purple, and black draped curtains, and an audience is visible in front.
Four women standing together outdoors, smiling, with trees and a golf cart in the background.
Two women standing on a stage, smiling and holding each other, in front of a backdrop with red, purple, and white drapes.
Two women in professional attire sharing a laugh in front of colorful pink and purple drapes at an indoor event.
A man in a teal suit and white sneakers is speaking into a microphone on an outdoor stage with a banner that reads 'Black' and 'women and mental health'. There are two black chairs with purple cushions on stage.

"Seeing Black women united and in agreement that our mental and maternal health matters was truly beautiful, filled with divine moments and connections."

  • Summit Attendee

"The most valuable part of the Summit was the opportunity to hear directly from Black mothers and providers about their lived experiences, which reinforced the urgency of advancing culturally responsive, community-centered care.”

  • Summit Attendee

Not presenting this year? You can still help bring Black mothers, families, and providers together. Give, partner with us, or see what the last Summit made possible.

Help build the next Summit

GET INVOLVED

  • Give to the Summit

    Your gift helps keep the Summit free for mothers, families, and providers.

    DONATE TODAY

  • Partner with us

    Organizations can support the Summit through sponsorship, in-kind support, or community partnership.

    PARTNER WITH US
Logo for the Black Perinatal Mental Health Summit 2026 featuring the organization name, two logos at the top, and stylized text.