Nursing Grants

Alkermes Education Grants

Alkermes contributes to independent education by supporting educational grants. Our focus areas include educational activities with pragmatic approaches to improve patient care and public health in the domains of schizophrenia, depression, and alcohol and opioid dependence. We expect to contribute to a better and expanded understanding of the underlying mechanisms of disease and their relevance to medications that address those characteristics, as well as the overall treatment in a broad sense that includes psychosocial methods.

Grant requests must be unsolicited, should typically have multiple funders, support education on a wide range of treatment options, not promote a particular medicine and must not provide nor promise to Alkermes any tangible benefit. If there will be faculty for the activity, please do not share faculty names with Alkermes in any of the documentation uploaded. If requesting honoraria payment for faculty, please include in your submission the hourly rate and anticipated number of hours to be worked. 

Areas of Interest

Alkermes is interested in collaborative submissions between CME providers partnering with professional organizations of practitioners who focus on treatment of persons with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia and addictive disorders. Examples might include proposals for CME activities for regional meetings of psychiatric or addiction practitioners, or partnering with professional nurse practitioner, case manager, or pharmacist societies in their CME efforts for their constituents.

Alkermes is currently accepting proposals that address the topic areas listed below.

Substance Use Disorders

• Improving the understanding of comparative effectiveness data for the treatment of OUD
• Increasing awareness and understanding of opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and the medication treatment options
• Integrating medication for the treatment of OUD or AUD into outpatient practice
• Improving the awareness and understanding of long-acting injectable medications for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
• Increasing awareness of treatment guidelines for OUD and AUD
• Reducing barriers to initiation of treatment and retention in treatment for patients with OUD and AUD

Schizophrenia

• Understanding and implementing pharmacologic approaches to address suboptimal outcomes for persons with schizophrenia
• Using patient-centered approaches for optimizing treatment of schizophrenia
• Addressing why medications fail for the treatment of schizophrenia: non-engagement, nonresponse, nonadherence, and comorbidities

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Please note, Alkermes is not awarding applications for MDD until the second half of 2019. Please plan accordingly.

• Education on new understanding of the pathophysiology of MDD
• Exploring existing and novel (e.g., non-monoamine) pharmacological mechanisms for MDD
• Recognition and management of patients with MDD with an inadequate response to current antidepressant therapy

What does this program do?

This program provides funding to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural communities with extreme unemployment and severe economic depression.

An essential community facility is one that provides an essential service to the local community, is needed for the orderly development of the community, serves a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.

How may funds be used?

To construct, enlarge or improve community facilities for health care, public safety and public service. Grants may be made in combination with other financial assistance such as a Community Facilities direct or guaranteed loan, applicant contribution or funding from other sources. Examples of essential community facilities include:

• Health Care: hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities
• Public Facilities: city/town/village halls, courthouses, airport hangers, street improvements
• Community Support Services: child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds, transitional housing
• Public Safety: fire halls, police stations, prisons, jails, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles and equipment
• Educational: museums, libraries, private schools
• Utility: telemedicine, distance learning
• Local Food Systems: community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs, greenhouses, kitchen appliances
• For a complete list, see Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3570.7

• Grants up to 75% of eligible project cost based on need and funding availability
• Applicant must be eligible for grant assistance, which is determined by the population and median household income of the service area
• Grant funds must be available

Mission

The mission of the Semnani Family Foundation is to find creative and effective ways of serving the needs of marginal and vulnerable communities around the world, particularly those whose survival and security is at grave risk or immediate danger due to forces and factors beyond their control. Whether it is helping communities recover from disease, famine, earthquake or war, or promoting research, educational and civic initiatives, we focus our giving where we can make the most difference.

About

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting the health, education and disaster relief for marginal communities in the United States and around the world.

The philosophy of the Foundation is guided by a desire to empower the most vulnerable members of society, where ever they may be. The Semnani Family Foundation seeks to leverage its resources in a cost effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit to help the most marginal of communities—those who would otherwise be left out, forgotten or neglected, or those who would risk serious and irreversible damage and injury from exposure to natural or man-made disasters such as famine, floods, earthquakes and war.

The Semnani Family Foundation partners closely with organizations and individuals with a demonstrated record of delivering significant, sustainable and lasting change in the field. Over the years, the Foundation has worked with the major international and national as well as local charities to advance its mission. The Foundation’s partners over the past twenty years have included the American Red Cross, UNICEF, LDS Humanitarian, Globus Relief, Global Health Alliance, Special Olympics, the American Cancer Society, the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Habitat for Humanity, High Road for Human Rights, Faith Voices for the Common Ground, the League of Women’s Voters and others.

Program Areas

Social Issues

The Semnani Family Foundation gives grants for projects that address social issues such as homelessness, literacy, hunger, violence and rape. Over the past twenty years, we have supported Oxfam America, Wasatch Homeless Healthcare, the Road Home, Planned Parenthood, Rape Recovery Center, Prevent Child Abuse, and Gun Violence Prevention Center.

Health

Health is the one of the core mission areas of the Semnani Family Foundation. We have supported a broad range of health initiatives from funding research to providing care, from helping institutions build their capacity to train and teach students, pharmacists and nurses to joining partnerships for vaccination campaigns designed to eradicate measles and other crippling diseases. Since 1993, the Foundation has collaborated on a broad range of health issues ranging from AIDS, Alzheimers, Arthritis, Cancer, Diabetes, Cystic Fibrosis, Epilepsy, Leprosy, Multiple Sclerosis, Cystic Fibrosis as well as Mental Health.

Since inception, our partners have included the National Kidney Foundation, Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society, American Leprosy Association, American Diabetes Association, Epilepsy Foundation, Utah AIDS Foundation, Utah Valley Mental Health, the University of Utah, Utah Rural Association of Nurses and others. We have teamed with the Moran Eye Center, Surgical Eye Expedition and others to extend the gift of sight to marginal communities. We have also partnered with Special Olympics, Kostopolous Dream Foundation, Wheelchair Foundation and a number of other organizations to provide assistance for people with disabilities.

Children

Children’s health and welfare is of vital importance to the Semnani Family Foundation. Whether they suffer from disease, hunger, abuse or poverty, the Semnani Family Foundation has made the health and education of vulnerable children a priority. Over the last twenty years, we have partnered with groups such as Primary Children’s Medical Foundation, Save the Children Foundation, Orphan Kids Inc, Odyssey House, National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, Make a Wish Foundation, Simon Says Foundation, Shriners Hospital for Children, Pediatrics Radiology, Voices for Utah Children and Utah Boys Ranch.

Women

The empowerment of women, particularly in developing countries is one of the Foundation’s leading priorities. Since 1993, we have worked with Mothers without Borders, Women for Women International, Worldwide Organization for Women, Salt Lake League of Women’s Voters and other organizations dedicated to improving the life of women.

Disaster Relief

The Semnani Foundation has partnered with the American Red Cross, LDS Humanitarian Services, Globus Relief, World Food Program, Islamic Relief, Oxfam America and others over the past twenty years, providing disaster relief to victims of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, famine and other natural disasters. Since its inception in 1993, the Foundation has supported disaster relief efforts in Iran and Haiti following earthquakes, in Indonesia after the tsunami, in Pakistan after the floods, in Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen and Eritrea following famines, and in the Sudan and Syria following civil wars. We have also supported the New York Firemen 911 Relief Fund.

Iranian American Issues

The Semnani Family Foundation has played an active part in promoting Iranian culture in the United States. The Foundation has supported the Encylopedia Iranica Foundation, Parsa Community Foundation, Persian Heritage Foundation, Hafez Foundation for Literature, Roodaki Foundation, the Iranian-American Society and countless other educational and cultural initiatives. Due to sanctions, the Foundation is unable to support philanthropic projects in Iran at this time.

Religious Tolerance and Interfaith dialogue

Given the importance of religion to the life of many immigrant communities and refugees, the Foundation has worked closely with religious communities and leaders to promote interfaith dialogue, understanding and integration. We have helped immigrant and refugee communities build houses of worship, extend and expand social services, and fight prejudice. The Foundation has worked closely with LDS Humanitarian, Holy Cross Ministries, Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Faith Voices for the Common Good and others to promote religious tolerance and bridge cultural divides.

Utah

View the grant page for the Utah priority area here.

The Retirement Research Foundation is one of the first private foundations in the nation devoted exclusively to aging and retirement issues. RRF’s Responsive Grants program supports projects that have a significant focus on older adults, ages 65 and over.

Direct Service Grants

The Retirement Research Foundation awards Direct Service Grants for projects that:

• Increase the availability and effectiveness of comprehensive community programs designed to maintain older persons in their homes; 
• Provide supportive services to older persons in residential settings, such as congregate living facilities, group homes, and assisted living facilities;
• Improve the quality of nursing home care;
• Coordinate the provision of acute- and long-term care for older persons with chronic conditions by supporting efforts that provide continuity of care, prevention, early intervention, and client education;

Provide new and expanded opportunities for older adults to engage in meaningful roles in society such as employment and volunteerism.

Application Background

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in health care occupations is projected to grow 15% through 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations. Health care services continue to be in great demand, particularly among our aging population. Additionally, working in the health care industry can offer a successful career track to many, and can provide an avenue to supporting greater economic stability and the accumulation of wealth – two reasons why generations of Americans, particularly those within communities of color, have difficulty escaping poverty.

As the racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S. population continues to shift, it is critical that health care adapts. By fielding a culturally competent, diverse, and prepared health care workforce, vulnerable and historically underserved communities will have an increased probability of achieving better health outcomes on the path to true health equity.

Program Goals

The Cigna Foundation will support the educational and employment path of individuals who are considering health-related jobs through programs that prepare adults to help advance public health and improve health outcomes for society overall.

This support also includes increasing the number of practitioners who identify with groups that have been underrepresented and underserved. It also provides learning opportunities for all practitioners on how to better understand, identify, and address health disparities among diverse groups within the changing U.S. population.

The Cigna Foundation seeks to fund resiliency programs that:

• Provide support services for individuals accepted for enrollment with plans to pursue a career in health care or earn an advanced degree that requires additional knowledge and skill (i.e., medical doctor, researcher, hospital administrator, nurse, health educator, community health worker, medical assistant, etc.) to:
  • Foster educational persistence through certificate completion/degree attainment
  • Increase transfer from a two year to a four year institution for eligible students
  • Create a climate that supports the success of low-income students, first-generation students, and individuals with disabilities
  • Offer tutoring and coaching programs to decrease falling behind and/or dropping out of classes
• Increase cultural competency through:
  • Awareness building programs and tools to aid clinicians serving vulnerable populations
  • Expansion and diversification of the health care workforce to increase access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care
  • Training that enhances self-awareness of attitudes toward people of different racial and ethnic groups
  • Increasing knowledge about different populations served, including cultural beliefs and practices, attitudes toward health care, how people seek health care, and burdens of various diseases
  • Improving skills to work with diverse communities
• Create a culturally competent environment that considers:
  • Linguistically and culturally appropriate health education materials
  • Interpreter services or bilingual providers
  • Recruitment and retention of staff who reflect the community’s cultural diversity
  • Culturally specific health care settings located within the community being served

NOTE: The deadline for this Application is the 31st day of December of the year preceding the year of the grant requested.

About Us

In 2012, the current Board of Directors of the Jay L. Smith Family Foundation envisioned helping others by creating a foundation that would fund other non-profit organizations.

The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation is dedicated to helping multiple causes; however, the Foundation is especially partial to funding research for a cure of Alzheimer's. The Foundation is heavily dedicated in assuring proper care and service for individuals suffering from this disease and related illnesses.

In its first full year of existence, the Jay L. Smith Family Foundation had the pleasure of funding 11 different non-profit entities from 5 different states. Some of the services provided by those entities include elderly care, cancer research, family violence clinics, suicide prevention, and Alzheimer's research.

The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation is open to funding new groups and causes; however, at this time, the Foundation will only provide grants to entities and relief efforts in the United States.

Mission Statement

"The mission of the Jay L. Smith Family Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities by funding qualified non-profit organizations that promote family values, support the advancement of healthcare, and serve the disadvantaged."

What we do

The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) foundation that gives grants to organizations that promote family values, support the advancement of healthcare, and serve the disadvantaged.

Projects

Alzheimer's Research

According to the Alzheimer's Association, this disease is the most common type of dementia, a disease that affects millions of people. This past year, the Jay L. Smith Family Foundation gave grants to 2 of the leading facilities in the field of Alzheimer's research.

Strengthening Families

The US Department of Health and Human Services states that domestic violence can expose children to greater risks of substance abuse and criminal activity. The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation recently gave a sizeable grant to a domestic violence clinic in Montgomery, Alabama.

Elderly Care

Caring for the elderly requres a strong unit that includes doctors, nurses, aides, and family members. The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation is dedicated to funding organizations that provide vital services to the elderly, including hospitals and hospice facilities.

Suicide Prevention

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention stated that almost 42,000 Americans took their lives in 2013. The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation granted money to an organization who researches ways to prevent suicide and also the helping of families coping with loss.

Cancer Research

The American Cancer Society recently stated that more than one million people in the United States are diagnosed with cancer every year. The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation dedicated a significant amount of funds in the year 2014 to help find a cure for cancer.

Spiritual Wellbeing

Many Americans suffer from hopelessness and depression. The Jay L. Smith Family Foundation aims to help people find their unique purpose in this life and to help them become better citizens in their communities.