(CLOSED) The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grants Spring 2020

Sponsor Name: 
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
Amount: 
$25,000 - $50,000
Description of the Award: 

The Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research, and improving the quality of life for people living with paralysis through grants, information and advocacy.

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Quality of Life grants program is offering a tiered grants strategy in 2019, awarding Direct Effect (Tier 1) grants up to $25,000 to support the same wide array of programs and activities that have traditionally been funded by the Reeve Foundation. In addition, we have created High Impact Priority grants (Tiers 2, 3 & 4) with higher maximum award amounts that focus on targeted high priority issues for people living with paralysis and their families. This enables the Reeve Foundation to continue to support valuable projects and services in communities throughout the United States of America, as well as to highlight, fund and publicize high priority issues and successful solutions.

Direct Effect Quality of Life grants

Direct Effect Quality of Life grants fund specific budget items up to a total of $25,000 to support the wide range of projects and activities that will clearly impact individuals living with paralysis and their families. Funded projects must be completed within 12 months after the award is received.

Examples of funded projects may include (but are not limited to): sports wheelchairs for a wheelchair basketball team; adapted glider in a community playground; kayak for a rowing program; accessible gym equipment; hydraulic lift at a pool; electronic door openers at a community center; wheelchair accessible picnic table at a county fairground; camp programs; subsidized lessons for therapeutic riding; transportation costs for an inclusive afterschool program; and support groups.

Direct Effect (Tier 1) grants will have short- to mid-range impact. Long-range impact and sustainability are not expected for projects at this level. Grantees will be required to submit a 6-month interim report and a final report and evaluation survey at the end of the project.

High Impact Priority Tiers

The High Impact Priority Quality of Life Grant Tiers (Tiers 2, 3, & 4) offer three increasing levels of grant funding. High Impact Priority grants fund high priority issues for individuals living with paralysis. Priorities were identified through conversations with myriad stakeholders and validated by a community needs assessment survey conducted by Vanderbilt University. Grantee organizations will demonstrate capacity to implement the grant without intensive technical assistance and capacity building, as well as capacity for program development, evaluation and sustainability. Funded projects are expected to be completed within 12 months of receiving the award. Each High Impact Priority Tier is targeted to focus on a High Priority issue for the community of individuals living with paralysis as follows:

High Impact Priority Quality of Life Grant Tiers:

  • Tier 2 – 10 grants of $30,000 for the following Priority Areas:

    • Transportation
    • Respite/Caregiving
    • Disaster Preparedness
  • Tier 3 – 4 Grants of $40,000 for Nursing Home Transition
  • Tier 4 – 5 Grants of $50,000 for Employment
Limit (Number of applicants permitted per institution): 
1
Sponsor Final Deadline: 
Mar 16, 2020
OSVPR Application or NOI Instructions: 

Organizations may only apply for one grant in a grants cycle and only under one Tier. Multiple submissions from one organization will not be considered. The Penn State College of Medicine is considered a separate organization from the rest of the PSU system.

The Office of Foundation Relations is available to consult on proposal narrative elements and answer other foundation-related questions. Penn State College of Medicine applicants should please contact Jess Kiely, Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, (jkiely1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or 717-531-5827) for additional support.

To be eligible to apply interested applicants should send the following documents in sequence in one PDF file (File name: Last name_Reeve_2020.pdf no later than 4:00 p.m. on the internal submission deadline:

1. Cover Letter (1 page, pdf):

  • Descriptive title of proposed activity
  • Name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) of the PD(s)/PI(s)
  • Names of other key personnel
  • Participating institution(s)
  • Number and title of this funding opportunity

2. Project Description (no more than two pages, pdf) and identify the project scope that addresses the key aspects and elements, principal investigators, collaborators, and partner organizations.

3. 2-page CV's of Investigators

Questions concerning the limited submissions process may be submitted to limitedsubs@psu.edu.

To be considered as a Penn State institutional nominee, please submit a notice of intent by the date provided directly below.
This limited submission is in downselect: 
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to this funding opportunity. The number of NOIs received require that an internal competition take place, thus, a downselect process has commenced. No Penn State researchers may apply to this opportunity outside of this downselect process. To apply for this limited submission, please use this link:
OSVPR Downselect Deadline: 
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 - 4:00pm
Notes: 
No Applicants