Competitive Grants

Four rounds of competitive grants designed, three funded, each shaped by the people the funding was meant to serve.

Listening, Learning, Acting

Each round was shaped by listening. Patients, caregivers, and grantees from earlier rounds helped Adira set the priorities for the next round.

$699,718

in grants awarded

20

competitive grants funded

12

states reached

Round 1: Fast-Track Response to COVID-19

April 2020 · $100,000 awarded · 12 grantees

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Adira launched its first competitive grants round as a fast-track emergency response. Twelve nonprofits received funding to meet immediate needs.

Map of the United States showing various locations marked with map pins.

Round 2: Pervasive Needs Grants

Fall 2020 · $360,000 · 5 grantees · Reached 40,000+ people

Round 2 was designed with the help of Round 1 grantees, who set the priorities. Adira received 34 applications. Five were funded. Adira called all 29 non-awarded organizations to share feedback.

Priorities set by listening

  • Caregiver mental health

  • Community engagement

  • Sharing resources that work

  • Care coordination, navigation

  • Legal advocacy

  • COVID-19 emergency needs

  • Health equity

Round 3: Prevailing Priorities

Announced Fall 2021 · Funded 2022 · $239,718 awarded · 3 grantees

Round 3 grew out of listening events held throughout 2021. People shared a recurring fear: losing what defined their lives. Careers, incomes, friendships, hobbies.

Simplifying clinical research

Remove barriers to clinical trial participation.

Preparing for threats to livelihood

Plan for the financial realities of ND.

Thriving again in common pursuits

Inclusive social and recreational activities.

  • $80,000 · Dance for PD · Thriving Again in Common Pursuits

  • $79,753 · Dementia Care Navigation · Preparing for Future Threats to Livelihood

  • $79,965 · Narrative as a Tool to Enhance Diversity in Research · Simplifying Access to Clinical Research

Round 4: Designed by Lived Experience

2022 · Designed through the ND Congress

Round 4 was designed differently than any round before it. Through the Neurodegenerative Disease Congress, Adira gathered people with lived expertise alongside professional experts to design Round 4 grants from the ground up.

Round 4 was fully designed through the three ND Congress gatherings and the workgroups between them, but was never deployed; Adira ceased operations in December 2022.

See the ND Congress Report
A infographic showing a list of healthcare and non-profit sectors on the left, and on the right, a statistic indicating that 51% of attendees are people with a target disease or caregivers.

How Adira Granted

The Pervasive Needs Grants program followed principles that set it apart from most disease-specific philanthropy.

Designed by lived experience

Patients and caregivers shaped grant priorities, not just consulted.

Grantees joined the voices setting subsequent grant priorities

Each round's awardees helped design the next round.

Cross-cutting, not single-disease

Programs that worked across multiple disease communities.

Other partnerships

Adira also funded five direct partnerships outside the competitive grants program.

See Other Projects