who do you stay home for?
#IStayHomeForRare join us in solidarity with those staying home protecting the lives of children, family members, and friends living with rare diseases.
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Applications are currently closed
March 16, 2021 - Since last August we've had to close our applications due to overwhelming demand, and sadly, lack of funding to follow through. We were able to fund two more rounds of applications in late-2020 and early 2021, but literally hundreds remain.
Tomorrow, millions of Americans will start to receive $1200 from the US Government as part of a historic stimulus bill aimed at alleviating the financial duress wrought by a year of lockdowns, job loss, and economic struggle. It will be the third such payment in the last year. While this will certainly help millions of Americans pay the bills, for further marginalized communities with expensive healthcare needs, it alone will not suffice.
It’s now 2021, and although incredible progress has been made in creating vaccines and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial toll for rare disease families continues. While some will soon be eligible to get vaccinated, others cannot due to specific immune health conditions, and many more will remain out of work and continue to survive on itinerant income. Others have had treatments cut, been unable to partake in clinical trials, and lost access to supportive therapies that greatly affect their quality of life.
Living in the Light and Cure CMD are determined to continue the I Stay Home for Rare solidarity fund in 2021 by applying to new sources of funding. One clear goal we have with this next round of funding is to to make the fund more accessible to undocumented individuals and families living with rare disease since they will not receive the next round of stimulus checks and have not received government aid since the start of the pandemic. Furthermore, we are working to translate our application and website into Spanish to accommodate Spanish-speaking applicants.
To date we have raised $93k for direct financial assistance. We are still seeking funding from various sources, but have set our more intensive efforts down at the moment. Thank you to everyone who contributed and applied, Your support has truly made a difference in the lives of 105 individuals and families.
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY APPLIED FOR FUNDING
We are still working to secure funding for your applications and assuming we can raise the necessary funds, we will contact you when your grant is processed. We are still planning a next round of funding for August, so stay tuned.