JUNE 2022 - The agenda for the 3rd Annual Sozosei Summit to Decriminalize Mental Illness, December 5 - 7, 2022, is nearly complete, and we hope you are saving the date for this year’s Summit. Registration will open in early September. The theme of this year’s Summit is building access to mental health care in communities with a special focus on 988, which goes live in just a few weeks.
MAY 2022 - A quick reminder that Statements of Interest are due to the Foundation by May 18, 2022 at 11:59 pm ET in response to our open call for applications from evidence-based programs and innovative (untested) approaches to decriminalize mental illness by increasing access to community-based mental health care. Read the full Request for Statements of Interest and how to apply here.
APRIL 2022 - The Sozosei Foundation is pleased to announce the latest round of grants through our Decriminalization of Mental Illness portfolio. Each grantee partner is working to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness by improving access to mental health care in communities across the nation. Each organization embodies the creativity, curiosity, and collaborative spirit that are core to the Foundation’s values. Their work addresses one or more of the Foundation's four strategic pillars:
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.