Center for Lactation Equity

Advancing equitable lactation care in the U.S.

Our mission

The mission of the NLCA Center for Lactation Equity is to advance health equity by increasing families’ access to clinical lactation consultant professionals (IBCLC®) in the United States and cultivating a culture of diversity and inclusion within the IBCLC® profession.

Our vision

Equity in the field of clinical lactation care by elimination of barriers to achieving the IBCLC® credential and availability for families to access culturally appropriate care from those in their communities.

A woman from a rural area.

The National Lactation Consultant Alliance has Partnered with the Lactation Education Resources to Offer A Lactation Education Scholarship.

Supporting Aspiring Lactation Professionals who are serving Rural, Underrepresented areas and/or Indigenous communities.

Thank you for your interest in our lactation scholarship program! This scholarship aims to support persons with an interest in pursuing lactation education and certification to increase diversity and equity in the field. This scholarship is designed to cover the 95-hour education requirement in preparation for the IBCLC examination. This scholarship is offered through Lactation Education Resources (LER).

Application Deadline: Midnight on October 31st, 2025

The focus of the center.

Achieving our vision requires work to increase access to scholarships, resources, education, and mentors for candidates for the IBCLC® credential to receive the needed didactic and clinical training to develop their skills. We work toward the promotion of the credential in the marketplace and empowering professionals who hold the IBCLC® credential to thrive and to achieve recognition for their clinical lactation care expertise on the health care team in hospitals, clinics, and in a variety of community settings. We work toward strategies that will build an inclusive lactation community that understands, appreciates, and values equity, diversity, and cultural humility.

Achieving our vision requires work to increase access to scholarships, resources, education, and mentors for candidates for the IBCLC<sup>®</sup> credential to receive the needed didactic and clinical training to develop their skills.

Our goals include:

  • Construct a forum that promotes engagement in the essential work of improving health equity, diversity, and inclusion in the lactation community.
  • Remove barriers to access to the lactation consultant (IBCLC®) profession.
  • Increase community awareness for the need for lactation consultants (IBCLC®) from diverse populations.
  • Increase access to culturally appropriate care from lactation consultants (IBCLC®) representing their cultural community
  • Identify opportunities to enhance the number of mentors available for aspiring lactation consultants (IBCLC®) from diverse populations.
  • Increase awareness in the marketplace of the need for culturally appropriate clinical lactation care.
  • Promote development of training programs in institutions of higher education where students have access to financial aid and receive a degree on completion of their studies in clinical lactation care.
  • Promote consistent reimbursement by third party payers including Medicaid.

If you are interested in joining our Center, please visit our contact page to share your contact information and to express your interest. Thank you.

Achieving our vision requires work to increase access to scholarships, resources, education, and mentors for candidates for the IBCLC<sup>®</sup> credential to receive the needed didactic and clinical training to develop their skills.

Our Goals Include:

  • Construct a forum that promotes engagement in the essential work of improving health equity, diversity, and inclusion in the lactation community.
  • Remove barriers to access to the lactation consultant (IBCLC®) profession.
  • Increase community awareness for the need for lactation consultants (IBCLC®) from diverse populations.
  • Increase access to culturally appropriate care from lactation consultants (IBCLC®) representing their cultural community
  • Identify opportunities to enhance the number of mentors available for aspiring lactation consultants (IBCLC®) from diverse populations.
  • Increase awareness in the marketplace of the need for culturally appropriate clinical lactation care.
  • Promote development of training programs in institutions of higher education where students have access to financial aid and receive a degree on completion of their studies in clinical lactation care.
  • Promote consistent reimbursement by third party payers including Medicaid.

If you are interested in joining our Center, please visit our contact page to share your contact information and to express your interest. Thank you.

NLCA resources

The latest lactation information at your fingertips.

The latest lactation information at your fingertips.

Lactation news

Lactation publications

NLCA newsletter

The latest lactation information at your fingertips.