Unlikely Collaborators Announces $200,000 Grant to Fireside Project to Expand Access to Psychedelic Emotional and Integration Support

Funding will support clinical research on coaching integration and help grow free peer support services nationwide

LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Unlikely Collaborators today announced its continued support of Fireside Project, a nonprofit organization providing free, confidential emotional support during and after psychedelic experiences. The ongoing grant reflects Unlikely Collaborators' commitment to expanding access to innovative mental health resources that foster self-awareness, healing, and human connection.

Fireside Project operates the Psychedelic Support Line, which provides compassionate, nonjudgmental support during moments that can be profoundly meaningful, challenging, or disorienting. Unlikely Collaborators' funding supports Fireside Project's efforts to scale its services, reach maximum impact, and serve as many individuals as possible across the psychedelic continuum of care.

Unlikely Collaborators is supporting Fireside Project with a two-year, $100,000 per year grant. In addition, Unlikely Collaborators previously awarded a Spark Grant between Fireside Project and Massachusetts General Hospital to support a study of Fireside-Certified™ Psychedelic Coaching in ketamine treatment.

The Fireside-Certified™ Psychedelic Coaching Program combines rigorous training, lived experience, and clinical supervision to support individuals through challenging and transformative psychedelic experiences. Coaches complete a comprehensive 300-hour certification process and receive ongoing clinical supervision.

Unlikely Collaborators is a nonprofit organization, founded and chaired by Elizabeth R. Koch, dedicated to fostering transformative storytelling, developing human connection, and resolving internal conflict. Unlikely Collaborators' perspective is that external conflict arises from unconscious, unresolved internal conflict within each of us. Founded on the belief that the way we perceive the world is highly subjective, Unlikely Collaborators supports projects that challenge assumptions, spark meaningful dialogue, and invite people into deeper self-awareness in community.

Central to the mission of Unlikely Collaborators is the groundbreaking Perception Box™ framework developed by Koch. More than just a metaphor, it represents the often unseen matrix of biases, beliefs, and personal narratives that influence how we interpret reality. Rooted in cognitive science and psychological research, this framework illustrates how each person's unique mental model shapes their understanding of the world, often limiting their ability to connect with new perspectives and ideas. By investigating and untangling our Perception Box beliefs, individuals and communities can unlock compassion, creativity, and new ways of thinking.

"We're deeply grateful for Unlikely Collaborators' continued support, which builds on their earlier investment in our collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital," said Joshua White, Founder and Executive Director of Fireside Project. "Together, these grants allow us to both expand access to free, peer-based support and rigorously study how coaching and integration can improve outcomes across the psychedelic continuum of care."

For more information about Fireside Project, visit firesideproject.org for more about Perception Box, visit unlikelycollaborators.com.

About Fireside Project

Fireside Project is a nonprofit organization that is transforming the psychedelic continuum of care by providing scalable, safe, accessible psychedelic support and individual coaching. The Psychedelic Support Line—which can be reached at 62-FIRESIDE (623-473-7433)—provides free, inbound, confidential support by mobile app, phone, and text message to people during or after psychedelic experiences. To staff the support line, Fireside Project has trained over 700 practitioners, each of whom receives an industry-leading 250 hours of experiential training. Fireside Project has received national media attention in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Esquire, Mashable, WIRED, and more.

SOURCE Unlikely Collaborators