NEW YORK, N.Y., September, 6, 2024 – The New Venture Fund (NVF), a public charity that works to achieve a healthier, more equitable world, has launched a request for proposals for the Type 1 Diabetes Camps Project: 2025-2027 Campership Initiative. This initiative seeks applications from diabetes camping organizations nationwide serving youth living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their families. Funding is for supporting need-based full or partial scholarships “camperships” for low-income youth with T1D to attend camp and staff development. T1D camps provide essential social support to youth with T1D, including the opportunity to learn how to manage diabetes while connecting with peers and others in a safe, fun environment. The initiative is supported by $6 Million in grant funding from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and $900 Thousand in funding from Eli Lilly and Company over the next three years.
T1D — an autoimmune disease in which the body is unable to produce insulin — is a lifelong condition that can begin very early in childhood. Successful management requires frequent monitoring of blood sugar, daily injections of insulin, and decisions around diet, activity, and other factors that can contribute to variations in blood sugar. The complexity of managing the condition can be overwhelming to children and adolescents with diabetes, such that family and community social support are crucial. The challenges of managing the disease are exacerbated for low-income youth who often have difficulty accessing quality care.
“Diabetes camps provide an environment where youth with T1D can have fun safely, find peer-to-peer support, learn new diabetes management tools, and build a community.” said Deniz Dalton, Program Officer in the Type 1 Diabetes Program at the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “At Helmsley, we are committed to supporting whole person approaches to care, and to ensuring that all people with T1D and their families can access them. We’re proud to continue to support the camp initiative.”
This new RFP builds upon the 2022-2024 T1D Camps Project, a current NVF project funded by grants from Helmsley and Eli Lilly. Diabetes camps normalize T1D, create support networks, and promote best practices in medical and self-care. Without these camperships, many would otherwise be unable to attend. NVF-funded camps will also be invited to attend a grantee conference each year so that they can learn from and network with like-minded organizations.
“The T1D Camps Project gives young people the chance to connect and build community as they develop the skills they need to manage their diabetes,” said Lee Bodner, President of New Venture Fund. “NVF exists to ease operational burdens on changemakers, like the leaders of the T1D Camps Project, so that they can focus on furthering their mission and affecting more lives for the better. We could not be prouder to support the T1D Camps Project as they empower youth living with T1D.”
“Living with diabetes requires daily attention and commitment – often for the whole family – and type 1 diabetes affects individuals of all different genders, ethnicities, and financial backgrounds. We are proud to expand our partnership with Helmsley to provide inspiration, recognition and education to help people living with diabetes overcome the challenges of the condition, regardless of financial status,” said Sarah Noel, executive director of U.S. Diabetes Advocacy and Professional Relations, Eli Lilly and Company.
For more information about the RFP, please login and navigate to the publicly available RFPs: https://newventurefund.force.com/login
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About NVF
The New Venture Fund (NVF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity that supports a wide range of nonpartisan projects aimed at making the world more equitable and fair for everyone. A leading fiscal sponsor, NVF provides operational support to help advocates and philanthropists quickly and efficiently launch new solutions to today’s toughest challenges, including climate change, youth empowerment and education, and global health and international development. Since its founding in 2006, NVF has helped launch over 500 philanthropic projects. For more information, visit https://newventurefund.org/.
About The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4.5 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. The Helmsley Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) Program is the largest private foundation funder in the world with a focus on T1D, with more than $1 billion to date committed to transform the trajectory of the disease and to accelerate access to 21st century care, everywhere. For more information on Helmsley and its programs, visit helmsleytrust.org.
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Contacts
New Venture Fund, T1D Initiative, t1dinitiative@newventurefund.org
Caitlin Ford, Helmsley Charitable Trust Communications Associate, cford@helmsleytrust.org