Our city’s budgets are a reflection of our values — or how much our city government is willing to honor the values of the people they serve. At a time when families, municipalities, states, and our entire nation feel the squeeze of rising costs and deteriorating material conditions, we all hold a responsibility to ensure our limited resources are distributed equitably to better serve our communities, not political agendas.
Economic justice is reproductive justice. An economically just society provides ways for all people to thrive in life, regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, or the circumstances that they were born into, and the link to reproductive justice is inextricable. We all deserve a city that invests in us.
Avow Texas is currently working on two budget campaigns: The San Antonio Reproductive Justice Fund and the Austin Community Investment Budget.
During past budget cycles, we’ve been proud to win investments for reproductive justice funds in both cities. Those funds enabled Austin and San Antonio to provide logistical support for Texas abortion seekers who needed help covering costs associated with accessing abortion outside of the state: travel, food, childcare.
Austin allocated $400,000 to their Reproductive Justice Fund in 2024, and San Antonio allocated $500,000 to its fund in 2023.
The Texas Legislature ultimately passed legislation in 2025, SB 33, making it illegal for cities to provide logistical support for Texas abortion seekers — but that doesn’t mean our opportunity to ensure our tax dollars serve the people has vanished. We can still fund wraparound prenatal support, free contraception and STI care, reproductive health education, and connections to affordable health care for our communities.
With these community investments, our city governments act as a line of defense against oppressive state policies while centering Reproductive Justice. We’re building a foundation that enables these investments to grow in the future.
Here’s what we’re fighting for in each city, and how you can become an accomplice:
Austin’s Community Investment Budget
In partnership with Mama Sana Vibrant Woman, Equity Action, Texas Civil Rights Project, No ALPRs, Hands Off Central Texas, Austin Justice Coalition, Grassroots Leadership, Ground Game Texas, VOCAL Texas, Austin Urban League, and others, Avow Texas is calling on the City of Austin to make strategic investments in prevention and community-based services that save money over time, while strengthening public safety and community well-being.
We are calling on the City to reject the proposed $16.8 million reduction in social service contracts and maintain funding for programs that provide essential services to Austin residents.
On July 16, we’ll be holding a Power to the People’s Priorities Party at Lustre Pearl East, where we’ll discuss public safety priorities and explore key areas where our city should invest and divest. City leaders will be invited to hear feedback from the most impacted stakeholders in our city.
Attend our Power to the People’s Priorities Party
Avow Texas is particularly focused on advocating for a $600,000 investment for Maternal Health Grants. Grant funding will expand access to vital reproductive healthcare through perinatal services and the addition of four full-time doulas to our community. As abortion bans exacerbate poor maternal and infant outcomes, these services work towards reducing infant and maternal mortality and improving health outcomes. Any investment in reproductive healthcare access will also reduce the need for more costly emergency interventions later on.
Texas’ abortion bans have manufactured a maternal health crisis that’s led to soaring sepsis rates and made Black pregnant Texans 2.5x more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white people. This investment is critical to our community!
Contact your Austin City Councilperson:
Overall, our proposed Community Investment Budget asks that the city fund the following social services:
Office of Violence Prevention ($4.3M)
Inclement Weather Shelter Model ($4.5M)
Re-entry Grant Funding ($1.5M)
Workforce Development ($2M)
Emergency Rental Assistance ($4M)
Tenant Education, Stabilization Support, and Community-based Agreement Support ($300K)
Solar Incentives to Expand Equitable Access to Rooftop Solar (General Fund (GF) neutral)
Early Childhood Education & Development ($500K)
Austin Police Oversight ($260K)
Family Stabilization Grant ($3M)
Austin Public Health – Immigrant Support: Legal Services ($570K)
Austin Public Health – Immigrant Support: Mental Health Services ($250K)
Community Coalition Crisis Response ($2.3M)
Survivor Support and Shelter Stability ($4M)
Prepared Meals ($300K)
Austin Public Health – Maternal Support ($600K)
Expand Violet Keepsake Storage ($500K)
Supportive Services at City-Owned Housing Properties ($1M)
COLA for City Workers ($7M)
911 Joint Emergency Communications
No Cuts:
EMCOT 24/7
General Fund transfer to the Housing Trust Fund
Harm Reduction Funding
Permanent Supportive Housing Production and Services
Rapid Rehousing
Austin Climate Action and Resilience
Parent Support Specialists
Park Maintenance and Safety
Austin Public Library: Passport navigation and fee support, library staff and hours
Staff connected to implementation of the Austin Climate Equity Plan in any department (relevant programs within Watershed Protection, Transportation and Public Works, Austin Energy, Austin Water, Austin Resource Recovery, Financial Services)
No Funding:
Increases to APD budget
AI surveillance
Incentives for data centers
Austin Energy rate increase without a rate case and engagement of a consumer advocate to represent residential customers.
San Antonio Reproductive Justice Fund
The Reproductive Justice Fund addresses critical gaps in healthcare access for San Antonio’s most vulnerable residents, including uninsured and undocumented community members. In a state that ranks 49th for women’s health, this fund represents San Antonio’s commitment to ensuring all residents can access safe, culturally competent reproductive and sexual health care.
After two years of implementation, the Reproductive Justice Fund has delivered tangible results through trusted community organizations. This was even after SB 33’s passage, which required the Reproductive Justice Fund to restructure how it provided resources to San Antonians.
This budget cycle, we are asking the City of San Antonio for a $1,000,000 investment into the Reproductive Justice Fund.
The fund provides wraparound prenatal support, free contraception and STI care, reproductive health education, and connections to affordable health care. While state lawmakers chip away at our rights and healthcare access, these services work to fill gaps in safety-net services that reduce infant and maternal mortality, improve health outcomes, and empower San Antonians to make informed decisions about their health and families.
One of the 194 community members who received support during pregnancy through the fund had this to say about its impact on her pregnancy:
💚 “I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE MY DOULA! Very grateful y’all offered that service and would absolutely need her again with a future pregnancy. She was my calm and peace in the middle of the scariest moment of my life. This program helped us immensely and gave us resources we needed but weren’t able to afford.” 💚
Centering reproductive justice is how we ensure a future for all San Antonians and boldly lead the state and nation in people-centered city budgeting.
Your city officials work for you, and our taxpayer dollars belong in our communities. The decisions made by our local governments have tangible, everyday impact on our lives. We the people also have immense power to shape and guide our city governments!