Grant Programs

This page provides details on special grant programs as they become available, generally due to special funding by donors to the Brain Support Network. If you would like to fund a new grant program, contact Brain Support Network.

Phil and Jackie Myers Family Fund (October 2019 – 2020)

The Phil and Jackie Myers Family Fund was established by members of the BSN Northern California Support Group in October 2019. The fund honors Phil Myers, who helped many caregivers over the years at our Northern California BSN support group meetings and who served as BSN’s Treasurer until July 2019. Jackie was Phil’s wife of 45 years whose diagnosis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) was confirmed through brain donation after her passing in 2011.

To honor Phil and Jackie the Fund provides grants of up to $1,500 to PSP and CBD families in order to ease the burden on the caregiver or provide enrichment to the care recipient. Ideas for use of the grant include respite for the main caregiver, travel to bring a loved one to visit the care recipient, care recipient physical therapy, or creation of meaningful events or memories with the care recipient.

Several long-time PSP and CBD support group members have donated to create this Fund. Initial funds allow us to give four grants of up to $1,500. If Phil Myers helped you as a caregiver, please acknowledge Phil by making a charitable contribution to BSN either online with a credit/debit card at www.brainsupportnetwork.org/donate or by check to Brain Support Network, PO Box 7264, Menlo Park, CA 94026. Mark your contribution as support for the “Myers Family Fund”.

This grant program is specifically open to those with a family member with clinically diagnosed PSP or CBD in the BSN Northern California support group community who have a financial need. This includes those who have been on the BSN email list since July 1, 2019, or who attended our caregiver-only support group meetings before October 1, 2019. Your family has a financial need if you would not be able to pay to undertake this project without the grant. “Financial need” does not require supporting documentation, though receipts for expenses must be provided.

We started reviewing grant applications on October 26, 2019. Find the application here: www.brainsupportnetwork.org/2019 Myers Family Fund Grants.pdf. (The application was to be printed, completed, and returnedto BSN following instructions on the form. Or, the PDF file was downloaded and filled out with a PDF reader.) This fund disbursed approximately $5,000 in grants in 2019 and 2020. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, demand for the grants was limited.

Allan Marcus Family Fund (2017-2018)

The Allan Marcus Fund for Families in Need with PSP was established in February 2017 in memory of Allan Marcus, whose diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) was confirmed through brain donation after his passing in 2016. His family wished to help PSP families in the BSN community, through grants of up to $1,500, to enrich or celebrate their loved one in a special way. The fund disbursed approximately $9,000 in grants in 2017 and 2018.