Be The Match Foundation

FUNDRAISING TO SUPPORT MISSION OF THE NMDP/BE THE MATCH: TO SAVE LIVES THROUGH CELLULAR THERAPY

PATIENT ASSISTANCE - BE THE MATCH FOUNDATION (BTMF) PROVIDES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO PATIENTS THROUGHOUT EACH STAGE OF THE TRANSPLANT PROCESS. FUNDED FULLY BY PHILANTHROPY, IN FY2021 MORE THAN $6.1 MILLION WAS PROVIDED TO OVER 2,600 PATIENTS FROM MORE THAN 150 TRANSPLANT CENTERS. THESE ARE THE HIGHEST NUMBERS IN PROGRAM HISTORY. IN FY2021, THE TEAM IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY OF GRANT DATA USING THE SOFTWARE LOOKER TO BETTER EVALUATE HOW EQUITABLY THE PROGRAM DISTRIBUTES FUNDING. IN FY2021, THE PROPORTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS WHO IDENTIFY AS NON-HISPANIC WHITE RANGED FROM 52%-73% DEPENDING ON THE GRANT TYPE. THE CHELL TRAVEL GRANT, WHICH HELPS PEOPLE WITH TRAVEL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPATING IN A (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) CLINICAL TRIAL, WAS DISTRIBUTED TO THE MOST DIVERSE POPULATION. THE RIKLIS CRISIS GRANT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO THE LEAST DIVERSE POPULATION, WITH 73% OF RECIPIENTS IDENTIFYING AS NON-HISPANIC WHITE. A COMMITTEE REVIEWS EACH RIKLIS CRISIS GRANT APPLICATION WITH RACE/ETHNICITY INFORMATION REDACTED TO INCREASE THE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS GRANT.TWO GRANT PROGRAMS SUPPORT PATIENTS PRE-TRANSPLANT WHO HAVE INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL BARRIERS THAT DELAY OR PREVENT THEM FROM FINDING A DONOR OR CORD BLOOD UNIT. THE FAMILY TYPING GRANT (FTG) PAYS LABS, ON BEHALF OF THE PATIENTS, FOR THE TYPING OF FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES NEEDED TO IDENTIFY IF THERE IS A DONOR IN THE FAMILY. THE FTG HELPED 47 PATIENTS THIS FISCAL YEAR. FOR THOSE WITHOUT A DONOR IN THEIR FAMILY, SEARCH ASSISTANCE FUNDS (SAF) HELPS PATIENTS START THE SEARCH FOR AN UNRELATED DONOR OR CORD BLOOD UNIT BY GIVING TRANSPLANT CENTERS A GUARANTEE OF PAYMENT FOR SPECIFIC SEARCH AND/OR PROCUREMENT COSTS SHOULD THEY NOT BE COVERED BY INSURANCE. THERE WERE 113 PATIENTS APPROVED FOR SAF THIS FISCAL YEAR. BTMF ALSO PROVIDES FUNDING TO HELP WITH THE MANY UNCOVERED OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES FOR PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER A TRANSPLANT. THE TRANSPLANT SUPPORT ASSISTANCE (TSA) GRANT PROVIDES DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO QUALIFIED FAMILIES BOTH PRE- AND POST-TRANSPLANT. TSA HELPS WITH EXPENSES SUCH AS TRANSPORTATION, TEMPORARY RELOCATION, CO-PAYS, AND INSURANCE PREMIUMS. THIS YEAR, 2,008 TSA AWARDS WERE GRANTED WITH THE AVERAGE AWARD BEING $1,768 TO PATIENTS PRE- AND POST-TRANSPLANT.IN MAY 2020, BTMF OPENED A NEW, TEMPORARY GRANT TO MEET THE EVOLVING NEEDS OF PATIENTS DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. THE COVID-19 RELIEF GRANT PROVIDED A ONE TIME $500 AWARD TO AID IN COVERING MEDICAL AND NON-MEDICAL EXPENSES DUE TO FINANCIAL HARDSHIP RELATED TO COVID. THIS YEAR 540 COVID AWARDS WERE GRANTED TO PATIENTS WHO WERE BOTH PRE- AND POST-TRANSPLANT. THIS GRANT CLOSED IN MAY 2021 AFTER BEING OPEN FOR ONE YEAR.THE JOHN AND CARYN CAMIOLO SURVIVORSHIP GRANT (CAM) PROVIDES DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO QUALIFIED PATIENTS WHO ARE AT LEAST THREE MONTHS POST-TRANSPLANT AND WHO ARE ACTIVELY RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE. CAM HELPS WITH UNCOVERED COSTS OF TREATMENT AND PRESCRIPTIONS. THIS FISCAL YEAR, 140 PATIENTS WERE HELPED THROUGH THE CAM GRANT WITH EACH PATIENT AWARDED $750.THE CHELL TRAVEL GRANT PROVIDES DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO QUALIFIED PATIENTS WHO NEEDED ASSISTANCE WITH TRAVEL COSTS TO PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL TRIALS THAT TREAT BLOOD CANCERS OR BLOOD DISORDERS. THIS YEAR 107 CHELL TRAVEL GRANTS WERE AWARDED WITH THE AVERAGE AWARD AMOUNT BEING $1,683.THE IRA AND DIANA RIKLIS CRISIS GRANT PROVIDES $10,000 IN DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO QUALIFIED PATIENTS POST-TRANSPLANT WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT CRISIS EVENT IMPACTING PATIENT'S ACCESS TO POST-TRANSPLANT CARE. THIS FISCAL YEAR, 12 PATIENTS WERE HELPED THROUGH THE RIKLIS CRISIS PROGRAM.

RESEARCH - RESEARCH INNOVATIONS ARE CRITICAL TO EXPANDING TREATMENT TO MORE PATIENTS AND IMPROVING OUTCOMES. EACH YEAR, BTMF IS PROUD TO INVEST IN RESEARCH THROUGH:THE AMY STRELZER MANASEVIT RESEARCH PROGRAM (AMY PROGRAM): OUR FLAGSHIP RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP, THE AMY PROGRAM FUNDS EARLY CAREER INVESTIGATORS FOCUSED ON ADVANCES IN THE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF POST-CELL THERAPY COMPLICATIONS (E.G., GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST-DISEASE AND INFECTION). IN 2021, WE FUNDED THE WORK OF 15 AMY SCHOLARS. AMY SCHOLARS HAVE GONE ON TO BECOME LEADERS IN THE FIELD, PURSUING SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES THAT HELP BE THE MATCH PATIENTS LIVE LONGER, HEALTHIER LIVES. SINCE 1998, BTMF HAS INVESTED NEARLY $12 MILLION TO HELP (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) LAUNCH THE CAREERS OF 46 YOUNG PHYSICIAN-SCIENTISTS. AFTER RECEIVING THEIR AMY SCHOLAR AWARDS, THIS GROUP HAS GONE ON TO WIN MORE THAN $110 MILLION IN SUBSEQUENT FUNDING TO PURSUE THE DISCOVERIES THAT WILL HELP PATIENTS LIVE LONGER, HEALTHIER LIVES AFTER CELL THERAPY. TODAY, THE AMY STRELZER MANASEVIT RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR THE STUDY OF POST-CELL THERAPY COMPLICATIONS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST COVETED FELLOWSHIPS IN THE FIELD OF TRANSPLANTATION.FISCAL YEAR # OF SCHOLARS DOLLARSFY2019 41 NEARLY $9M FY2020 44 NEARLY $11MFY2021 46 NEARLY $12M THE ANTHONY NOLAN TRUST GRANTS PROVIDE SUPPORT TO THE ANTHONY NOLAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE TO CONTINUE DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF AN HLA CLASS I AND II SEQUENCE DATABASE AND PROVISION OF HLA CLASS I AND II SEQUENCE INFORMATION. BE THE MATCH'S CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL BLOOD AND MARROW TRANSPLANT RESEARCH (CIBMTR) - A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN - IS THE LEADING HUB FOR TRANSPLANT AND CELL THERAPY RESEARCH. BTMF HELPS TO FUND INNOVATIVE RESEARCH STUDIES LED AND MANAGED BY THE CIBMTR.

RECRUITMENT - THE BE THE MATCH REGISTRY PROVIDES THE MOST DIVERSE LISTING OF POTENTIAL DONORS AND CORD BLOOD UNITS IN THE WORLD, WITH ACCESS TO 39 MILLION POTENTIAL DONORS AND 806,000 CORD BLOOD UNITS WORLDWIDE. IN FY2021, OVER 250,000 NEW POTENTIAL DONORS WERE ADDED TO THE BE THE MATCH REGISTRY. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MILLIONS ON THE REGISTRY, PATIENTS SOMETIMES STILL CANNOT FIND A MATCH. THIS IS DUE IN PART TO THE PATIENT'S ETHNIC BACKGROUND. ON AVERAGE, A PATIENT'S LIKELIHOOD OF FINDING A MATCH ON THE BE THE MATCH REGISTRY RANGES FROM 29% TO 79% DEPENDING ON THE ETHNIC BACKGROUND. SOME ETHNIC GROUPS HAVE MORE COMPLEX TISSUE TYPES THAN OTHERS, SO A PERSON'S BEST CHANCE OF FINDING A DONOR IS WITH SOMEONE OF THE SAME ETHNIC BACKGROUND. THE IMPORTANCE OF INCREASING DIVERSITY ON THE REGISTRY IS AN (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) ORGANIZATION GOAL AND PRIORITY AT BE THE MATCH.BE THE MATCH MEXICO WAS STARTED IN 2017. WITH THE GOAL OF REACHING MORE PATIENTS AND INCREASING DIVERSITY ON THE REGISTRY, WORK HAS BEGUN TO CREATE A NETWORK OF DONOR CENTERS AND FUNDRAISING PARTNERS IN MEXICO.

BTMF PARTNERS WITH BE THE MATCH ON VARIOUS INITIATIVES TIED TO THE SHARED MISSION. THESE PROGRAMS INCLUDE:BE THE MATCH PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES TO PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH ONE-ON-ONE NAVIGATION SUPPORT, VIDEO, PRINTED, AND DIGITAL EDUCATION RESOURCES, COUNSELING, PEER-TO-PEER CONNECT PROGRAM, AND THE JASON CARTER CLINICAL TRIALS SEARCH AND SUPPORT PROGRAM, WHICH HELPS PATIENTS WITH LIFE-THREATENING BLOOD DISORDERS FIND CLINICAL TRIALS. BTMF RAISES FUNDS TO SUPPORT THESE CRITICAL SERVICES. BE THE MATCH IS A LEADER IN PROVIDING HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS WITH THE EDUCATION, RESOURCES AND SERVICES THEY NEED TO PROVIDE THE BEST CARE FOR TRANSPLANT PATIENTS. BTMF HELPS TO FUND THE CREATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF A NEWSLETTER FOCUSED ON THE ADVANCEMENTS IN TRANSPLANTATION AS WELL AS QUICK REFERENCE GUIDES, WITH AN ACCOMPANYING APP VERSION, THAT PROVIDES RESOURCES FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS WHO CARE FOR PATIENTS BEFORE, DURING, AND/OR AFTER A TRANSPLANT.SPONSORSHIPS FOR THE BE THE MATCH ANNUAL ONE FORUM ARE RECEIVED BY BTMF AND THEN GIFTED TO BE THE MATCH. THIS MEETING CONNECTS ALL THE BTM NETWORK PARTNERS AND FOCUSES ON EDUCATION AND SHARING PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES RELATING TO TRANSPLANTS. BTMF ALLOCATES COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS AND OCCUPANCY COSTS TO PROGRAM BASED ON EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES.