Grants

Grants

Overview

NatCapLyme is committed to accelerating the efforts to advance the science associated with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Lyme is the fastest growing infectious disease in the United States and is at epidemic levels in certain regions of the country. Despite this growing threat, federal research remains significantly underfunded.

Recognizing that the path from research discovery to new treatment options is long and expensive, the emphasis of our grant review committee is to fund the most promising and innovative research. We also fund educational grants based on the belief that education is the best defense against Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Our grants range between $5,000 to $50,000 and proposals may be submitted to NatCapLyme throughout the year.

NatCapLyme’s overarching goal is to alleviate human suffering. Therefore, our research priorities focus on seeking new pathways to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of these diseases. We are particularly interested in the development of treatments that, on a daily basis, improve the quality of life for people afflicted with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

If you are interested in applying for a grant, please click here to complete the application.

2021 Grant Awards

National Capital Lyme Disease Association gave a grant to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS)  for the eighth year in a row to provide scholarships to first-time attending healthcare providers to attend the ILADS 2021 Scientific Conference “Vector-Borne Illness Fundamentals Course”.  Doctors, Physicians’ Assistants, Naturopaths, and Nurse Practitioners from around the country were awarded these scholarships and returned to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

2020 Grant Awards

Due to the extreme disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic, NatCapLyme’s grant-giving program was limited in 2020 to the following two applicants:

NatCapLyme sponsored, for the seventh year, first-time attending physician attendance at the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society 2020 Virtual Scientific Conference “Lyme Fundamentals Course.”  Doctors, Physicians’ Assistants and Nurse Practitioners from around the country were awarded grants for their participation and returned to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

NatCapLyme sponsored and funded local community events and supported other national advocacy organizations’ efforts to raise awareness about Lyme and tick-borne diseases. In particular, we supported the Unite to Fight 2020 Lyme March Event so that attendees were able to send messages relating to tick-borne disease to their lawmakers, utilizing the VoterVoice online platform donated by NatCapLyme.  VoterVoice easily allows attendees to send messages to their specific legislators with one click of a button.

2019 Grant Awards

NatCapLyme sponsored, for the sixth year, first-time attending physician attendance at the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society 2019 Scientific Conference “Lyme Fundamentals Course” in Boston, Massachusetts. Doctors, Physicians’ Assistants and NursePractitioners from around the country were awarded grants for their participation and returned to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

NatCapLyme awarded the final part of a research grant to Old Dominion University to study the presence of a common co-infection called Babesia in ticks collected throughout Virginia. This joint effort involving NatCapLyme and Old Dominion University will allow for more informed policies to be generated and provide information to the citizens of Virginia as well as the entire mid-Atlantic region about the actual risk of tick-borne pathogens in their area.

NatCapLyme awarded a grant to the LEAF Program, Inc. for their 2019 Lyme education tour. This tour visited fourteen states in the Northeast, mid-west and mid-Atlantic regions teaching prevention and awareness of tick-borne diseases to school age children, children’s groups, and summer camps. Participants were given educational materials, age-appropriate books, hands-on activities, technology and integrative activities.

NatCapLyme awarded a grant to www.wevoteandwecare.com,  an entity that utilizes a grassroots advocacy software system which allows groups, non-profits and concerned citizens to effectively launch coordinated campaigns to inform their state and federal lawmakers, as well as advocacy and political action groups, about issues concerning Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

NatCapLyme sponsored and funded local community events and supported other national advocacy organizations efforts to raise awareness about Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

2018 Grant Awards

NatCapLyme again awarded a research grant to support the innovative work of Dr. Neil Spector, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine. His research work focuses on the molecular and immunobiology of cancer, which could also lead to a paradigm shift in treatment to a new generation of targeted and immunotherapies to battle Lyme and its co-infections.

NatCapLyme awarded a research grant for the fourth year to support the work of Dr. Ying Zhang, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Zhang’s recent research evaluated the use of essential oils as a more effective agent than antibiotics at killing Lyme bacteria that causes lingering Lyme symptoms.

NatCapLyme awarded a research grant to Dr. Samuel M. Shor for his ongoing work, in collaboration with George Mason University and the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, as the principal investigator in the state-of-the-art research project involving nanotechnology to diagnose the presence of Lyme disease. This potentially highly sensitive diagnostic tool could provide the first reliable and rapid testing for active Lyme disease.

NatCapLyme sponsored, for the fifth year, first-time attending physician attendance at the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society 2018 Scientific Conference “Lyme Fundamentals Course” in Chicago, Illinois. Fifty physicians from around the country were awarded grants for their participation and returned to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

NatCapLyme awarded a research grant to Old Dominion University to study the presence of a common co-infection called Babesia in ticks collected throughout Virginia. This joint effort involving NatCapLyme and Old Dominion University will allow for more informed policies to be generated and provide information to the citizens of Virginia as well as the entire mid-Atlantic region about the actual risk of tick-borne pathogens in their area.

Funding was awarded to Old Dominion University’s Tick Research Team for outreach materials used for the creation of tick removal kits, printed brochures and tick-identification cards. These materials were used at Old Dominion University’s Tick outreach events throughout Virginia.

NatCapLyme awarded a grant to the LEAF Program, Inc. for their 2018 Lyme education tour. This tour visited eight states in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions teaching prevention and awareness of tick-borne diseases to school age children, children’s groups, and summer camps. Participants were given educational materials, age-appropriate books, hands-on activities, technology and integrative activities.

NatCapLyme awarded a grant to the Center for Open Data Enterprise to help facilitate the first-ever Lyme Innovation Roundtable at HHS headquarters on December 4th in Washington, D.C.  Over 80 leaders from government, industry, academia, clinical research institutions, patient advocacy groups, non-profits, and philanthropic organizations were brought together to develop new strategies and approaches to address Lyme and tick-borne diseases.  The Roundtable was hosted by the HHS Office of the Chief Technology Officer in collaboration with the Cohen Foundation, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, Center for Open Data Enterprise and Ensemble.

NatCapLyme sponsored and funded local community events and supported other national advocacy organizations efforts’ to raise awareness about Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

2017 Grant Awards

NatCapLyme awarded a research grant to support the innovative work of Dr. Neil Spector, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine.  His research work focuses on the molecular and immunobiology of cancer, which could also lead to a paradigm shift in treatment to a new generation of targeted and immunotherapies to battle Lyme and its co-infections.  According to Dr. Spector, “Our goal is to find alternatives to antibiotics to treat Lyme disease and to identify drugs that will target the Achilles’ heel of these pathogens while sparing the normal gut microbiome.”

NatCapLyme awarded  a research  grant for the third year to support the work  of Dr. Ying Zhang, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Zhang and his research group have developed a new assay which allows the identification of a range of FDA-approved drugs that have excellent activity against Borrelia burgdorferi persisters.  In collaboration with colleagues, he is evaluating the promising candidate drugs in combinations in animal models and also in patients for more effective treatment of Lyme disease.

NatCapLyme sponsored first-time attending physician attendance at the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society 2017 Scientific Conference “Lyme Fundamentals Course” in Boston, Massachusetts.  Twenty-five physicians from around the country were awarded grants for their participation and returned to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

NatCapLyme awarded a research grant to Old Dominion University to study the presence of Borrelia miyamotoi in ticks collected throughout Virginia.  This ongoing research follows a previous study in Fauquier County in 2016 where Borrelia miyamotoi was first discovered in collected ticks.  This joint effort involving NatCapLyme and Old Dominion University will allow for more informed policies to be generated and provide information to the citizens of Virginia as well as the entire mid-Atlantic region about the actual risk of tick-borne pathogens in their area.

Funding was awarded to Old Dominion University’s Tick Research Team for outreach materials used for the creation of tick removal kits, printed brochures and tick-identification cards.  These materials were used at Old Dominion University’s Tick outreach events throughout Virginia.

NatCapLyme sponsored and funded local community events and supported other national advocacy organizations efforts’ to raise awareness about Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

Grants Awarded in 2016

NatCapLyme awarded a second grant to support the work of Ying Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. from the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. His group developed a new high throughput assay which allowed identification of a range of FDA-approved drugs that have excellent activity against Borrelia burgdorferi persisters. This finding has generated considerable interest and may offer new opportunity to improve treatment of persistent Lyme. In collaboration with colleagues, he is interested in evaluating the promising candidate drugs in combinations in animal models and also in patients for more effective treatment of Lyme disease. 

NatCapLyme sponsored first-time attending physician attendance at the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society 2016 Scientific Conference “Lyme Disease Fundamentals Course” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Physicians from around the country were awarded grants for their participation and returned to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

NatCapLyme supported other local and national advocacy organizations’ efforts to raise awareness about Lyme and tick-borne diseases.  We supported the Mayday Project for their 2016 IDSA and CDC protest event in Washington, DC, as well as funded their children’s day at the National Zoological Park providing education on ticks and preventative techniques.

Grants Awarded in 2015

NatCapLyme awarded a research grant to support the work of Dr. Kim Lewis at the College of Science at Northeastern University.  We were encouraged by Dr. Lewis’ research on a new antibiotic, effective for fighting the drug-tolerant persister cells in Lyme disease.

NatCapLyme awarded a grant to support the work of Dr. Ying Zhang from the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.  Dr. Zhang’s two-pronged research is aimed at identifying optimal drug combinations to eradicate Borrelia persisters and at developing an improved diagnostic test for more effective diagnosis of chronic and persistent Lyme disease. We believe that such research offers hope and encouragement for Lyme patients.

NatCapLyme sponsored first-time attending physician attendance at the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society 2015 Scientific Conference “Lyme Disease Fundamentals Course” in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Physicians from around the country were awarded grants for their participation and returned to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

NatCapLyme supported other local and national advocacy organizations’ efforts to raise awareness about Lyme and tick-borne diseases.  We awarded a grant to the Mayday Project for their 2015 IDSA protest event in Rossyln, Virginia and actively participated in legislative education concerning tick-borne diseases by presenting a workshop primer on how Congress works and legislative advocacy to attendees.

Grants Awarded in 2014

NatCapLyme awarded a grant to develop a Lyme disease prevention education and awareness curriculum for grades K-12. The curriculum is designed for classroom instruction with pre- and post-tests to engage the student in implementation of the impact of Lyme and tick-borne disease at each grade level. Lyme topics include reading, writing, language arts, math, science, social studies, and health lessons for each grade level, with supplemental handouts, research aligned activities, and lessons that enhance learning and develop skillsets.

NatCapLyme provided a grant program for physicians to attend the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society’s 2014 Scientific Conference, “Lyme Disease Fundamentals Course” in Washington D.C. Ten physicians from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. were awarded grants, thus returning to their communities better prepared to treat their patients.

NatCapLyme awarded a research grant to support the work of Dr. John Aucott, Principal Investigator for the Lyme Disease Research Foundation of Maryland, who is conducting a longitudinal study (known as the SLICE study) in collaboration with scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The clinical research team will examine the course of infection by the Lyme organism and the resulting illness from the initial rash to the chronic persistent stage. The team’s objectives are to measure risk factors, symptom pattern and severity, and immune system response over time in patients with chronic Lyme symptoms. The foundation’s goal is to clearly define and understand the cause of disabling symptoms patients may suffer as a result of Lyme infection, and to improve Lyme patients’ diagnosis, treatment, and health outcomes.

NatCapLyme funded a special community program called “Learn the Latest on Lyme” for students, parents, and school staff about Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

 

NEWS FLASH!

Tickula is back and on the loose!

LOOK FOR HIM AT
TICKBUSTERS.ORG