MARCH 2022 - We join with our colleagues in applauding President Biden’s plan to address the Nation’s mental health crisis and reflect on the tireless efforts of the Sozosei Foundation’s grantees and the numerous others who helped bring this plan to life. Against that backdrop, today we are pleased to share this video recap of the Foundation’s 2nd Summit to Decriminalize Mental Illness where many elements of the White House’s plan were discussed.
Grant Makers In Health, View from the Field: November 16, 2021 - The aim of 988 is to remove cost and logistical barriers for individuals accessing urgent support, decriminalize mental health and substance use issues, and provide a clear entry point to care for those in crisis. While it is only the first of many steps needed to achieve a better mental health care system, well-resourced implementation of a 988 crisis call line at the state and local levels can jumpstart the creation of a robust and equitable crisis response system.
Philanthropy New York: November 1, 2021 – The Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka, has reached an important milestone in its grant-giving program to decriminalize mental illness. In 2021, the Foundation awarded $4 million in grants to 29 nonprofit organizations working to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
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.