April Greene (center) is part of the five-person staff running Blue Ridge Abortion Fund. Supplied photo.
In the three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision that ended federal abortion protections, the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund has spent more money than in the previous 33 years, combined.
Founded as a pickle-jar fundraiser by the local chapter of the National Organization for Women at the Albemarle County Fair in 1989, BRAF grew into a larger organization and established itself as an independent nonprofit in 2009.
BRAF is headquartered in Charlottesville, but its work extends beyond the Blue Ridge area. It’s one of roughly 76 abortion funds nationwide working to make sure that cost isn’t a barrier to abortion care.
“Immediately post-Dobbs, I noticed more and more people letting us know that, ‘Yes, I absolutely need the money to help pay for my abortion,’” says BRAF Executive Director April Greene. “More and more people were also sharing with us, ‘Oh, and by the way, I will be driving to you from out of state.’”
Greene started at BRAF as the nonprofit’s lead intake coordinator in 2021. Her work in reproductive care started more than 15 years ago in Georgia, where she struggled to access an abortion herself as a freshman in college. After graduating, she started an abortion fund that operated for almost a decade and provided financial and practical assistance obtaining reproductive care throughout the southeast.
Since the Dobbs decision, BRAF has become a key resource for people living in states with heavy restrictions on abortion—including Greene’s home state.
“Virginia is sort of holding the line in the South for abortion access,” she says. “People from Georgia, from communities that I’ve lived in and have been a part of, are now looking to Virginia for care and support … it’s been really, really wild to see that.”
Roughly 25 percent of the nonprofit’s clients now come from out of state, compared to less than 15 percent pre-Dobbs. But costs are up across the board.
For Virginians, medication abortion prescribed via telehealth is often the most affordable option available at approximately $150 to $200 for an appointment. In-clinic visits quickly rack up costs, with the price of a basic appointment starting at $500 to $600. Depending on the patient’s insurance, medication abortion prescriptions may not be covered, tacking on another $30 to $50.
These estimates do not include transportation or childcare expenses for the time-sensitive procedure. While Virginia law allows termination for any reason through 26 weeks of pregnancy, the cost of abortion increases as the pregnancy progresses. Medication abortion is only prescribed through 10 weeks, and is only considered to be effective up to 11 weeks of pregnancy.
“When someone has to travel to Virginia for care … clinics are booking out those appointments, and so Virginians are having to wait longer for appointments sometimes,” says Greene. “People are still having to travel from southwest Virginia into Charlottesville or Richmond or Roanoke to get their appointments.”
Beyond the procedure itself, BRAF offers practical support, such as paying for travel and childcare. These costs are also a factor for Virginians seeking abortions, especially those in the southwest part of the state.
While there is an abortion clinic in Bristol, Virginia, it’s become “the primary access point for people coming from western Tennessee,” according to Greene. “That one clinic alone cannot hold all of the needs of an entire portion of the state.”
“We’re paying for travel for those folks too,” says Greene. “It’s just sort of, I think, compounded the barriers that already existed for people.”
Between in- and out-of-state clients, BRAF is currently supporting between 40 to 60 people seeking an abortion every week. The nonprofit’s weekly budget of $20,000 often isn’t enough.
“We really do want to help everyone who calls us every single week,” says Greene. “We are not going to judge someone’s worthiness to receive support from us based on why they are getting an abortion, or what’s going on for them that means that an abortion is the best choice.”
With the New River Abortion Access Fund, which focuses on abortion access in southwest Virginia, dissolving by June 2026, Greene says BRAF hopes to meet the needs of those who may have previously utilized NRAAF. The Charlottesville-based nonprofit is in near constant communication with other abortion funds across the commonwealth, and the entire country, to make sure those seeking an abortion can access one. Still, the core of BRAF’s budget comes from monthly donations.
“There are about 500 people who currently support Blue Ridge Abortion Fund every single month with donations ranging from $5 a month all the way up to $500 a month,” says Greene. “Those monthly donations—that reliable, sustainable support—right now is so critical because that tells us exactly what we can expect in terms of our entire budget.”
