Business Wire: March 10, 2021 - The Sozosei Foundation, a U.S.-based, private charitable foundation, awarded a total of $75,000 in grants to three organizations in Texas that are providing local disaster recovery relief. These grants are drawn from Sozosei’s Disaster Relief and Recovery Philanthropy Program in response to the catastrophic winter storm that recently swept through Texas and left millions of people without power or basic necessities.
Associated Press: Jan 8, 2021 - The Sozosei Foundation, a charitable foundation established by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., recently convened its inaugural summit on decriminalizing mental illness. During the three-day event in December 2020, Sozosei brought together more than 200 multi-disciplinary stakeholders—including advocates, people with lived experience, policy makers, academics, philanthropic leaders, and other experts on mental health and criminal justice—to share knowledge and perspectives focused on creating a future where mental illness is not treated as a crime in the United States.
Philanthropy New York: September 25, 2020 – The Sozosei Foundation, a new philanthropy, has been launched to address the over-incarceration of people with mental illness and is convening an inaugural summit December 14-16 on this topic. Sozosei will also lead corporate social responsibility activities focused on disaster relief and local philanthropy, which will be centered on equity and sustainability. The Foundation will announce additional health-related program areas in 2021. The Sozosei Foundation has received its initial funding from Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
The Foundation recently kicked off a series of Global Solution Labs to surface more knowledge and perspectives about how to create a future where mental illness is not treated as a crime. Over 50 multidisciplinary “Solutionists” gathered on May 7, 2021, to take on the ambitious task of identifying the top solutions to move the needle on the decriminalization of mental illness.
In the spirit of collaboration, we recently hosted a Virtual Book Club featuring authors and renowned psychiatrist Dr. James Knoll and renowned psychologist Dr. Joel Dvoskin. Led by Sozosei Board Member, Mary Chi Michael, Dr. Knoll and Dr. Dvoskin discussed their contribution to the recently released book, “Decriminalizing Mental Illness” with more than 100 attendees.