The American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF) is pleased to announce the 2012 Cycle of the Humanitarian Projects Award

Humanitarian Projects Awards

The American Sleep Medicine Foundation (ASMF) is pleased to announce the 2012 Cycle of the Humanitarian Projects Award. The primary objective of this award is to provide support to projects that address sleep problems in disadvantaged populations. The ASMF is particularly interested in projects that develop or promote novel approaches to address human suffering in under-served populations as it relates to inadequate or non-restorative sleep, or sleep disorders in disadvantaged groups. There is growing awareness that “sleep disparity” is associated with poverty and that sleep problems have a disproportionate impact on those living in poverty.

• Download the Humanitarian Project Awards Application

Focus Areas

Examples of specific projects that are responsive to this request include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Development of projects that improve sleep conditions or sleep hygiene in children or adults living in suboptimal sleep environments, such as noisy, cold, or unsafe settings.
• Development of programs that incorporate sleep medicine services into clinics that provide care for medically indigent groups.
• Development of programs to coordinate the distribution of refurbished CPAP machines and supplies to underserved populations.

The ASMF encourages collaborative projects that integrate the efforts and resources of more than one organization. One example would be an application involving sleep and non-sleep medicine healthcare providers plus community or civic groups that collaborate to address the objective of this award. The ASMF is particularly interested in funding projects that demonstrate successful models that can be replicated in other settings. The ASMF recognizes the importance of including educational efforts when appropriate in some Humanitarian Projects, but for proposals that are primarily educational in nature applicants are encouraged to apply for the ASMF Educational Projects Award.
The ASMF intends to award a number of one-year grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 (no single grant to exceed $20,000). The number of grants awarded will depend on the number, quality, scope, and breadth of the applications and their expected outcomes. It is anticipated that there may be a substantial number of small awards made, although the award of larger grants is possible depending on expected outcomes.
A grant review committee appointed by the ASMF Executive Board will evaluate the proposals. Factors that will be taken into consideration include: 1) assessment of the measurable impact of the project on improvement in sleep in disadvantaged or underserved populations, 2) presence of resources necessary to complete the project, 3) feasibility and likelihood of success of the proposed plan, and 4) potential for the project to be replicated in other locations or settings in similar at-risk populations.

Eligibility

The following individuals, non-profit institutions, or non-profit organizations are eligible to apply:

1. Individuals such as physicians (MD or DO), allied health care workers and social workers (note, awards made in response to successful applications from individuals will be made formally to the individual’s host institution rather than an individual);
2. Charitable organizations, such as academic institutions, healthcare providers, hospitals, schools, non-profit community or civic groups.

Although not a formal requirement, the ASMF encourages applicants to collaborate with a physician who is Board certified in sleep medicine and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in each proposal. The AASM can help match potential applicants with local sleep experts in accredited sleep centers, hospitals or universities. Please contact the national office for placement assistance.

Application Deadline

Candidates must complete the application process by July 23, 2012.
For questions about the Humanitarian Projects Award or other ASMF inquiries, please contact Nick Cekosh, ASMF Coordinator at 630-737-9700 or ncekosh@aasmnet.org