Philanthropy New York: August 15, 2021 - The Sozosei Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OPAI), has approved grants through its Resilient Communities Program.
Inside Philanthropy: July 1, 2021 - Sozosei recently announced the commitment of $1 million in grants to 10 organizations working to make the impending nationwide rollout of the new 988 emergency phone number a success. Grants in this first round went to groups focusing on advocacy, research and workforce development. The recipients are: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Council of State Governments Justice Center, Inseparable, Kennedy Forum, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the Path Forward for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, The Trevor Project, and the University of Chicago Health Lab.
American Indian Fund (AIF): May 4, 2021 - The Sozosei Foundation, a charitable foundation funded by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., awarded $100,000 to the American India Foundation (AIF) COVID-19 Response Fund. This grant is drawn from Sozosei’s Disaster Relief and Recovery Philanthropy Program in response to India’s state of emergency, as the country records the highest number of cases and virus-related deaths globally.
Correctional facilities in the US are considered the largest provider of mental health services.1 The Sozosei Foundation is tackling the question—"What can be done to accelerate solutions so that we eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for mental health care?” But tackling the criminalization of mental illness is complex and there is no single solution or ‘magic bullet’ to eliminate the use of jail or prison for the treatment of people with mental illness. Identifying effective solutions is difficult, in part, due to the limited availability of data needed to evaluate whether solutions work.
To understand the Sozosei Foundation’s approach to impact, a team from the RAND Corporation interviewed grantees, representatives from partner organizations and thought leaders; reviewed scientific and grey literature; and met bi-weekly with the Foundation’s Executive Director. This document summarizes what the RAND team learned about the Foundation’s approach to impact and an evaluation strategy that aligns with this approach.
The Sozosei Foundation launched its Resilient Communities Program (RCP) in the summer of 2020 at the request of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OAPI), with the intent of evolving the company’s longstanding commitment to philanthropy. The goal of the program was to refine the company’s philanthropic commitment by designing guidelines and priorities to support diverse, under-resourced communities where the company has a presence. Over the two years of its grantmaking, the program provided over $1 million in grants and served over 177,000 people across six target communities.
When COVID-19 swept across the United States in the Spring of 2020, Sozosei had just formalized its governance structure and was in the midst of a national search for its inaugural executive director. Simultaneously, Sozosei – with leadership from its Board of Directors — moved swiftly to address the immediate needs of patients, healthcare workers, and families impacted by COVID-19.