Starting from 29 January 2024, NGOs from all over Poland can submit projects in the area of psychological support for haematological patients, as part of the 3rd edition of the DKMS Foundation Grant, with a total pool of funds of PLN 1.4 million. This year's edition of the Grant, like the previous two, is focused on projects that will improve the psychological wellbeing of young and young and adult haematological patients. The deadline for project submissions is 4 March this year.
The DKMS Foundation is not only a Marrow Donor Centre, but also a public benefit organisation working to improve the conditions and quality of treatment for patients fighting cancer and diseases of the haematopoietic system. Thanks to the DKMS Foundation grant, 16 projects have already been carried out for the benefit of haematological patients and their relatives for a total amount close to PLN 950,000. Activities were carried out by 13 organisations that applied for the 2022-2023 competition, of which three beneficiaries received the grant twice, for the continuation of activities started in the 1st edition. At the beginning of 2024, the 3rd edition of this much-needed initiative, which is part of the Programme for the Development of Polish Transplantology and Patient Support, developed and implemented by the Foundation since 2018, was launched.
- The projects submitted to the DKMS Foundation Grant are of a diverse nature: they range from large-scale, systemic actions covering the whole of Poland, such as a helpline for patients and their relatives or certified training for volunteers who will specialise in helping haematological patients, to point-based actions, directed, for example, to a specific group of patients in a hospital ward, siblings of young patients or young survivors. Thanks to these projects, we are contributing to improving the conditions for treatment and specialised patient care, as the key to the therapeutic process is not only diagnosis and an individual treatment plan, but also the care of a psycho-oncologist or the presence of a volunteer on the ward. - says Ewa Visan, Head of Fundraising, PR and Patient Programme, DKMS Foundation.
Submit a project and get up to 90,000 for its implementation
The total pool of grants to be awarded under the 3rd edition of the programme is PLN 1,400,000, with one applicant applying for a maximum of PLN 90,000 grant for the project. The DKMS Foundation does not set a minimum amount per grant, as the projects submitted to the programme can be very different and each will be considered individually by the Jury.
Funds will be allocated to initiatives and projects involving psychological support for patients and their relatives during the treatment and recovery process - both for patients in transplant clinics and haematology wards across Poland, and at home during and after treatment. Projects can be submitted under the following categories:
(a)Project beneficiaries:
- psychological support for young and young patients (children and adolescents up to 18 years of age) and/or their relatives,
- psychological support for adult patients (over 18 years of age) and/or their relatives,
(b)Continuation of the project:
- new project or
- A continuation of the project that received funding under the DKMS Foundation Grant in the 2nd edition (2023),
(c)Nature and scope of the project:
- an open project (including a holistic project, a systemic project, a wide range of activities, different audiences, etc.) or
- a closed project (a targeted project, dedicated to specific Beneficiaries, limited e.g. to a hospital ward, etc.).
The DKMS Foundation grant may be awarded to organisational units: foundations, associations, public benefit organisations and other non-governmental organisations, one of whose objects of activity is to provide mental support to haematological patients in Poland.
To apply for a DKMS Foundation Grant, please complete the application form available on the website: www.dkms.pl/dotacja-fundacji-dkms and send it by e-mail to the address indicated on the website. Deadline for receipt of applications: 29.01.2024- 4.03.2024 r.
More than 3.5 thousand Beneficiaries of the 2nd edition of the DKMS Foundation Grant!
In June 2023, the DKMS Foundation awarded grants for initiatives and projects involving psychological support for patients with blood and blood-forming diseases and their families. As many as 35 applications were submitted, of which 10 received financial support for a total of PLN 648,679.00. Implemented by the winning organisations, projects in the field of psycho-oncology have supported more than 3,500 people (both patients and their relatives) - This is the real effect of the aid that arrived in the 2nd edition of the Grants.
- Last year's initiatives primarily involved local communities. However, there was no lack of initiatives such as certified training for volunteers from all over Poland, thanks to which specialised people will be helping those in need for years to come. It is also worth mentioning the wide-ranging communication activities carried out by the NGOs, thanks to which information about their support groups, training courses or prepared materials reached almost 250 000 people. adds Ewa Nawrot, Senior Coordinator for Patient Organisations, DKMS Foundation.
Among the projects carried out were: free consultations for patients and their relatives, as well as a trip for patients combined with therapeutic-activation meetings. The ONKO Decalogue of Emotions, or the Big Book of Therapeutic Fairy Tales, and the Khoisan Help Box containing therapeutic fairy tales for the youngest patients were created. There were also workshops for doctors and nurses, through which they were equipped with psychological knowledge and the ability to work with haematological patients. In addition, thanks to a grant for the development of the National Volunteer Network, we supported patients by providing them with the only programme in Poland for the ongoing support of teams of trained oncology volunteers.
About the DKMS Foundation
The mission of the DKMS Foundation is to find a donor for every patient in the world in need of a haematopoietic stem cell transplant. The Foundation has been operating in Poland since 2008 as a Marrow Donor Centre based on the decision of the Minister of Health and as an independent public benefit organisation registered in the National Court Register (KRS) 0000318602. It is the largest Marrow Donor Centre in Poland, with more than 1 900 000 donors, of which 13 000 (data as of January 2024) have donated their haematopoietic stem cells or marrow to patients both in Poland and around the world, thus giving them a second chance at life. To become a potential donor, simply go to the website www.dkms.pl and order a registration package to take home.