Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center Awards Quality of Life Grants

SHORT HILLS, N.J., Oct. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) announced today that it has awarded 66 Quality of Life Grants totaling $1,248,983 to support to nonprofit programs across the country to support key areas of need for people living with paralysis nationwide. Funding for the grants was made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living (ACL) (Cooperative Agreement number 90PR3002).

This cycle piloted a tiered grant approach, with three higher-dollar amount levels of High Impact Priority grants that support key areas of need for the community of people living with paralysis, as well as a Direct Effect tier that is broad in scope and awards grants up to $15,000. The High Impact Priority areas include Employment (5 grants at $50,000 each); Nursing Home Transition (4 grants at $40,000 each); and Transportation, Respite/Caregiving, and Disaster Response, each with three grants of up to $30,000 each.

The Foundation received an unprecedented total of over 600 requests, and after a rigorous review process, ultimately funded 18 High Impact Priority grants totaling $679,922 and 48 Direct Effect grants totaling $551,061.

"As we get closer to the 20th year of our Quality of Life Grants Program funded by the Administration for Community Living, it is exciting to see so many first-time applications as well as new requests from past grantees seeking to continue or expand their projects," said Maggie Goldberg, Vice President of Policy and Programs, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. "The new tiered structure enables us to highlight, address and fund topics of critical importance to our community while continuing to support the wide range of services that have been traditionally supported by the grants program created by the late Dana Reeve."

Since the program's inception in 1999 by Dana Reeve, the Quality of Life Grants Program has given over $23 million to more than 3,000 nonprofit organizations whose work mirrors the mission of the Reeve Foundation.

"Through our federal partnership with ACL, we constantly strive to make the Quality of Life Grants Program the very best it can be," said Donna Valente, Director of Quality of Life Grants. "We are gratified that the new grants structure will help to support ACL's strategic priorities and honor Dana's vision and her legacy of caring by maximizing the impact of the grants."

This cycle's recipients include:

Disability Connection in Gulfport, Mississippi, received a High Impact Priority Employment Quality of Life grant of $50,000 to support Employment Connection, which will support an online employment resource center for individuals living with paralysis to help them prepare for, find and maintain employment.

Access to Independence of San Diego in San Diego, California, received a High Impact Priority Quality of Life Nursing Home Transition grant of $40,000 to support Oahu Ho'olilo, which will support the replication of their successful nursing home transition program to their Hawaii branch. People living with paralysis who reside in skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation hospitals and acute care hospitals will be assisted in transitioning to the community-based option of their choosing.

Main Line Health/Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital in Malvern, Pennsylvania, received a High Impact Priority Transportation grant of $30,000 to support The Road to Independence Driver Rehab Program, which trains individuals that live with paralysis how to safely drive in a vehicle adapted with special equipment to enable driving with hand controls operating the gas and brake pedals. Regaining the ability to drive is a tremendous booster to independence, particularly in areas that lack accessible mass transportation options.

Baptist Health Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas received a Direct Effect Quality of Life grant in the amount of $12,500 to support a the installation of a Ceiling Lift for the Wheelchair and Seating Clinic. The Wheelchair and Seating Clinic serves approximately 150 individuals per year, many of whom require total lift assistance for transfers in the Clinic for skin inspection and pressure mapping. The ceiling lift will make the transfers safer, more comfortable, and more time-efficient for patients and health care workers, and will result in more thorough assessments of patient needs, better decisions about which cushions and wheelchair features will promote healthy skin, and allow a greater volume of patients to be seen.

Camp PossAbility, Inc. in Fort Wayne, Indiana received a Direct Effect Quality of Life grant in the amount of $15,000 to support Camp PossAbility Camper Scholarships for a one-week summer camp designed specifically for young adults ages 18-to-35 years old who live with physical disabilities and who use a wheelchair for mobility, and who have received their high school diploma or equivalent. The camp's main goal is to provide social enrichment that will encourage our young adults with disabilities to seek their full potential.

The Reeve Foundation 2nd Cycle 2018 Direct Effect grants process is currently open. Online applications for Direct Effect Quality of Life grants of up to $25,000 may be submitted until the deadline on October 31, 2018. Nonprofit organizations seeking funding for innovative initiatives for individuals living with paralysis and their families are welcome to find out more at www.ChristopherReeve.org/qol. A free technical assistance webinar will be presented on October 9, 2018 and archived on the Reeve Foundation YouTube channel.

About the Reeve Foundation:

The Christopher & Dana 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 Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) is the support side of the Reeve Foundation's twin missions to provide "Today's Care" and to strive for "Tomorrow's Cure" and offers a free, comprehensive, national source of informational support for individuals living with paralysis and their caregivers. The PRC is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Administration for Community Living. For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-539-7309.

SOURCE Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation

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