Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation: Grants for Diseases

OVERVIEW: This funder exclusively supports prevention, treatment and cure research for Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) Spectrum Disease. It funds prominent research facilities and institutions of higher education.

IP TAKE: With such a narrow focus, it is easy for grantseekers to determine whether they are eligible for this funder’s support, and the foundation accepts applications year-round.

PROFILE: Like many disease-focused foundations, the Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation began with a family crisis. Victoria Jackson and Bill Guthy’s daughter was diagnosed with Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) Spectrum Disease in 2008. This is an incurable, yet treatable, autoimmune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack its own healthy cells, often in the optic nerves and spinal cord. Since little research was available about the disease, they created a foundation dedicated to funding basic science research to find answers that will lead to the prevention, clinical treatment programs and ultimately a cure. The foundation offers Research Grants and also supports a number of Special Projects.

GJCF is dedicated to “the quest to understand the pathophysiology and biochemistry of Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) Spectrum Disorder.” The foundation currently awards Eureka Grants, which support high-risk research that aims to “uncover a fundamentally new concept in NMOSD.” It prioritizes research that is “hypothesis generating, proof-of-concept establishing, pilot study, or equivalent.” Grants are awarded in amount of up to $50,000 for one year.

GJCF’s Special Projects have evolved over time. The most recent program is the Collaborative International Research in Clinical and Longitudinal Experience in NMO Studies (CIRCLES) Biorepository of “longitudinally-collected data and bio samples from subjects with NMO,” and the International Clinical Consortium to “promote the discovery, development and delivery of improved medicines, therapeutic strategies and diagnostic tools to ultimately cure NMO.” The foundation’s partners in this special project include Lab Corp and the University of Utah.

GJCF’s research grants generally range from $50,000 to $100,000. A list of the individual researchers supported by the foundation can be viewed on Guthy Jackson’s website.

The foundation accepts applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. Interested grantseekers may submit a Letter of Inquiry of up to two pages via email. Prospective grantseekers should review the foundation’s application guidelines prior to submission.

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).

LINKS: