$500 New Support Group Grant

The Leanne Storch Support Group Fund (LSSGF), established in 2012, honors the commitment of the former Executive Director of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), who was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in 2003 and received a lung transplant in 2014. Leanne ran a local support group for 10 years and continued to be a passionate advocate for the PF community. The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation is sad to report that Leanne passed away in 2019 but her spirit and work will live on through the Leanne Storch Support Group Fund. 

About the Grant
Groups are limited to one grant per funding year.  Support group leaders can request funds to cover expenses such as site rental fees, printing costs, refreshments, honoraria, and other costs related to starting and/or running a quarterly or monthly PF support group. Please note that “institutional overhead” (i.e. overhead for health care or academic institutions) is NOT permitted on this award.

The PFF requires that grant recipients submit either an official expense report or receipts to document all expenditures of this grant made during the grant year. Receipts can be emailed or mailed to the PFF but must be received by December 31, 2023. 

The following list includes examples of appropriate usage of Leanne Storch Support Group Grant funds:
Site rental fees for meeting location
Printing and mailing cost of brochures and flyers to promote support group meetings
Refreshments or treats for support group meetings
Coverage of costs for a holiday party, summer barbecue or other group gathering
Greeting or sympathy cards for support group members
Hand sanitizers 
Cloth face masks for support group members 
Virtual meeting platform subscription 
Holiday gift baskets 

The following list includes examples of inappropriate usage of Leanne Storch Support Group Grant funds:
Stipends for healthcare professional speakers or other payments to healthcare professionals or healthcare organizations 
Coverage of costs related to an individual's medical care

Note: This is not a comprehensive list of expenses that cannot be covered through Leanne Storch Support Group Fund grants. Please contact the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation if you have any questions about acceptable use of the Leanne Storch Support Group Fund grants. 

2023 Cycle
All grant applications are received on an ongoing basis. The application cycle opens on March 1, 2023 and closes on April 17, 2023. Please note: the Leanne Storch Support Group Fund is only available for support groups within the United States. 

Review & Notification Process
  • All applications will be reviewed and scored by the LSSGF Review Working Group of the PFF Support Group Leader Network and PFF Staff. 
  • A member of the Review Working Group will reach out to each applicant to conduct a phone interview to discuss the application.
  • Funding decisions will be made based on the overall quality of the application and interview. 
  • Applicants will be notified about the status of their application by a member of the PFF staff.  If funded, applicants will then receive a Letter of Agreement via email.
  • Funds will be released after the PFF has received a signed copy of the Letter of Agreement and other forms.
Click here to review the full Leanne Storch Support Group Fund Guidelines.

Question Title

* 1. I have read and understand the Leanne Storch Support Group Fund Guidelines.

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