Keith Family Fund

Fund Background

Recognizing the exorbitant cost to families of taking care of an adult loved one with a brain injury, The Keith Family Fund was established by Sharon Keith, a mother who experienced first-hand that resources were limited if the injured one was over the age of 18.

The Keith Family Fund plans to subsidize the cost of long-term residential care for adults who have acquired a brain injury as an adult. The fund will provide grants to nonprofit long-term residential care facilities (hereinafter referred to as the “homes”) to subsidize the care of patients selected by the nonprofit facility.

Sharon Keith has observed that there is adequate government assistance available to families whose members experience a brain injury prior to the age of 18, but little or no government assistance if the injury occurs after the age of 18. It is her intention that the fund’s distributions will lessen the economic hardship to families who are dedicated to the health and well being of their injured loved ones.

Fund Operations

The California Community Foundation (CCF) will invite select organizations, based on the recommendations of the Keith Family and CCF’s knowledge of the field, to be considered for a grant. Selected homes and other nonprofits will submit an application demonstrating how their client meets the fund criteria.

Overview

Up to $36,000 per resident per year for nonprofit residential care facilities based on 50% of the average cost of care for a client in that facility. The grant amount will be reevaluated each year.
Selected organizations will be eligible for multi-year funding commitments of up to 3 years of $36,000 – $90,000 per year per facility. Ideally, multi-year funding would be used by the home to provide more certainty on its ability to serve the same individuals each year and provide a level of stability for the individual and their family for care in the facility.
Grants will be provided one year at a time with future year award eligibility determined based on receiving an annual report describing how funds were spent according to guidelines and describing the ongoing need for funding.
Grants may continue if the organization is submitting reports describing proper use of funds to serve individuals qualified to stay in a brain injury home.
Ultimately, homes will be reviewed every 3 years to determine that their status and financial situation still merits funding.
Ideally, families will contribute financially to the costs of care in the facility and use of grant funds by the home will total no more than 50% of a family’s “out of pocket” expenses associated with a full-time care facility. “Out of pocket expenses” are defined as the monthly residence fees paid by the individual and charged by the brain injury home.
Grants will not be used to cover personal medical expenses.

Eligibility

For eligibility, see the chart below:

Criteria To Apply

Qualifying Families and Individual Grantees		Qualifying Homes as Grantees
The recipient has experienced a disabling brain injury after the age of 18 and would benefit from long-term care or supported living at a licensed facility. The recipient is not eligible for government assistance covering residential care. (Benefits from Medicare, Social Security, or In-Home Supportive Services will not disqualify a recipient). If there are too few eligible grantees, U.S. military veterans with adult-acquired brain injuries may receive funding at the same level as an otherwise eligible grantee. Recipients do not have to be from California. Out-of-state residents may apply for assistance towards residential care in a Southern California facility. Paying the costs of long-term care will result in financial hardship to the recipient or recipient’s family, as described in a letter from the grantee organization explaining the family’s circumstances and monthly budget. A preference for individuals between the ages of 18–65. The family of the individual is actively involved in ensuring the individual’s overall health and well being.		Must specialize in the long term care of patients with acquired brain injury. Must be a nonprofit organization Must be in existence for a minimum of 3 years. The fund will support homes from San Diego to Santa Barbara with a preference for homes in Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, Orange, and San Diego County. A preference for homes or organizations providing housing in small, family-like settings of 13 individuals or less. The donor believes that smaller settings provide a higher continuity of care and a residence experience that is closer to a regular home life. Must provide a positive and nurturing environment and encourage social interaction among its residents. There should be frequent recreational and enrichment activities outside the home and in the local community

To Apply

For additional information on the Keith Family Fund for Brain Injured Adults, please contact Michelle Khazaryan at mkhazaryan [@] calfund [.] org or 213-452-6205.

Reporting Requirements

Grantee organizations will be required to submit a grant reporting form online to CCF annually. The information provided on the form will be used to evaluate the fund’s activities and to better serve grantee organizations and individual recipients.

Contributions to the California Community Foundation represent irrevocable gifts subject to the legal and fiduciary control of the foundation’s board of directors. This charge will appear on your credit card statement as a payment to “Calif Comm Fdn – CCF”. In addition, California Community Foundation incurs a third-party administrative fee of 2.7 percent for credit card contributions. The foundation will charge the fee directly to the individual fund.