PANS/Inflammatory Brain Disorders Capacity Building Grant

Program Status: Currently accepting proposals; note: deadlines mentioned in content are from 2024, suggesting this may be a recurring program)

The Neuroimmune Foundation invites MDs and DOs to submit proposals for capacity building grants to support a medical system's expansion of services related to PANS and related inflammatory brain disorders.

Geographic Scope

• United States only - applicants must be based in the United States
• Centers must accept patients from any geographical location in the U.S.

Focus Areas - Applicants may propose to:

• Evaluate and treat a greater number of patients with PANS and related inflammatory brain disorders
• Diagnose and treat an expanded demographic (e.g., pediatric practice expanding to adults)
• Offer additional treatment options not currently available (e.g., immunotherapy)
• Care for patients with inflammatory brain disorders presenting similarly to PANS but not meeting strict diagnostic criteria
• Study or characterize patients with sub-acute infection-triggered neuropsychiatric illnesses, young adult presentations, etc.
• Proposals in this category limited to clinical programs doing qualitative or iterative clinical research

Grant Objectives

• Increase capacity to serve greater number of patients or new demographics
• Offer additional treatment options
• Care for and formally study/characterize similar illnesses
• Foster collaboration with other clinicians for comprehensive, multidisciplinary care

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicant qualifications:
  • MD or DO with experience diagnosing/treating PANS/related inflammatory brain disorders OR strong desire to learn
  • In-network with multiple insurance plans
  • Accepts Medicaid
  • Based in the United States
• Program engagement:
  • Prior participation in Neuroimmune Foundation CME events OR willingness to review ~10 hours of selected webinars on PANS diagnosis, treatment, and research
• Practice type: Both hospital and clinic-based practices eligible

Award Amount

• Up to $250,000 over two-year period ($125,000 annually maximum)
• Applicants may propose lesser amounts
• Up to 8% of indirect costs may be reimbursed
• Additional funding possible in subsequent years if deliverables are successfully completed

Funding Timeline

• Year One Funding Available: December 15, 2024
• Year Two Funding Available: December 15, 2025
• Continued funding contingent upon accomplishing outlined goals

Reporting Requirements

• Quarterly progress reports required (one-page documents)
• Due 15 business days after end of each quarter
• Continued funding contingent upon accomplishing outlined goals and deliverables on timeline

Potential Capacity-Building Activities (Examples)

Applicants encouraged to propose innovative activities including:

• Increasing staffing (adding trained clinicians or training within health system)
• Expanding services to adults with PANS
• Expanding services to care for/study underserved populations (chronic presentations, autism/neurodevelopmental disorders, long-term illness)
• Establishing/improving referral relationships with specialists
• Expanding services to underserved, rural, vulnerable, or minority populations via telehealth, satellite clinics, mobile clinics
• Adding bilingual clinicians for language-concordant services
• Education/training/consultative services for primary care (Project ECHO-like models, webinars, train-the-trainer)
• Establishing e-consult systems for asynchronous clinical support

About the Foundation

Neuroimmune Foundation

• Founded: 2017
• Status: 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
• EIN: 82-3128162
• Mission: Improving outcomes for individuals with inflammatory brain conditions
• Impact: Provided accredited CME to 5,500+ clinicians; served 20,000+ patients/families
• Prior funding: Two fellowships (UCSF and Stanford) and two grants to Stanford for PANS research

Contact Information

Kelly DeWeese

• Email: kelly@neuroimmune.org
• Inquiries and proposal submissions directed to this contact

Step 1: Letter of Intent (LOI)

Deadline: April 30, 2024 (Historical - program may have rolling deadlines; contact for current dates)
Submission: Email to kelly@neuroimmune.org

LOI Requirements:

• Limited to 700-word description
• Must summarize high-level plan for building/enhancing capacity to serve PANS patients
• Must include sustainability strategy summary
• Reviewed for: innovation and potential impact, merit, and relevance
• Accepted LOIs receive invitation to submit full grant proposal

Step 2: Full Grant Proposal (if LOI accepted)

Deadline: September 15, 2024 (Historical - contact for current dates)
Submission: Email to kelly@neuroimmune.org

Proposal Requirements:

• Limited to 3,500 words
• Must include budget narrative and line-item budget
• Word limit does not include budget documents

Required Proposal Content

Proposal must address all of the following:

1. Organizational background and experience - Project lead's experience related to treating PANS/related inflammatory brain disorders
2. Prior research experience - Any previous clinical, translational, or basic research completed by clinic/hospital/project lead
3. Resources developed - Any resources the clinic/hospital/project lead has developed for evaluation or treatment of PANS/related inflammatory brain disorders
4. Capacity building plan - Detailed plan for building or enhancing capacity to serve PANS patients (can include examples from "Potential Capacity-Building Activities" section)
5. Sustainability strategy - Plan for program sustainability once funding period ends
6. Specific aims - Specific project objectives and desired outcomes
7. Budget and timeline - Detailed budget with clear implementation timeline
8. Monitoring and evaluation plan - How project outcomes will be assessed
9. Institutional support - Formal assurance that project is deliverable and has hospital/clinic/organization support

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals evaluated on:

• Relevance and comprehensiveness of proposed approach
• Cost-effectiveness and budget clarity
• Plan for sustainability beyond grant period
• Demonstrated competence and successful follow-through on prior projects

Award Notification and Funding Timeline

• Notification of Award: October 15, 2024 (Historical)
• Year One Funding Available: December 15, 2024
• Year Two Funding Available: December 15, 2025
• Grant Details: Grant amount, disbursement schedule, and reporting requirements finalized upon selection

Ongoing Reporting

• Quarterly progress reports required: simple one-page documents
• Due: 15 business days after end of each quarter
• Continuation: Awardees who demonstrate successful completion at end of third quarter remain eligible for subsequent funding
• Contingency: Continued funding contingent on accomplishing outlined goals and deliverables on timeline