The Sozosei Foundation Announces New Grants to Decriminalize Mental Illness
Princeton, NEW JERSEY (April 18, 2022) – The Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka, works to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness by improving access to mental healthcare in communities across the nation. To accomplish this goal, the Foundation focuses its grantmaking and its Annual Summit to Decriminalize Mental Illness across four pillars:
- Arts and Communications;
- Improving Access to Community-Based Mental Health Care;
- Research; and
- Scaling What Works.
Today, the Foundation is pleased to announce its latest round of grants to the following organizations working to increase access to mental health care:
1 Million Madly Motivated Moms
Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers
Corporation for Supportive Housing and Access Mental Health
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI)
National Center for State Courts
Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc.
The Stephen C. Rose Legacy Fund
The University of Washington School of Medicine, Center for Mental Health, Policy and the Law
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents
Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation
“These grants represent our continued and unwavering commitment to building a world where mental illness is not a crime,” said Melissa M. Beck, Executive Director of the Sozosei Foundation, “and exemplify our dedication to creativity, collaboration, and the Japanese concept of Jissho – proof through execution. We are honored to support new innovative ideas along with organizations that have been in the field for decades.”
Tansy McNulty, Founder and CEO of the recently launched 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms said, “with support from the Sozosei Foundation, 1 Million Madly Motivated Moms (1M4) will continue to build the power and force of Black mothers across the nation who are fighting to decriminalize mental illness.”
Kathleen Noonan, CEO of the Camden Coalition stated, “We are thrilled to have the support of the Sozosei Foundation in our efforts as a national demonstration organization where we build upon our two decades of service to identify and nurture innovative ways to care for patients with complex health and social needs who are caught in the emergency room-to-jail revolving door.”
To learn more about the Foundation, visit www.SozoseiFoundation.org.
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The Sozosei Foundation was established in 2019 as a philanthropic arm of Otsuka. The name Sozosei means “creativity” in Japanese. The Foundation’s primary focus is to eliminate the use of jail and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. The Foundation also engages in disaster relief in places where Otsuka has a presence globally, and supports efforts to build resilient, healthy, and vibrant communities in a 50-mile radius of Otsuka's offices in the United States.