Bringing healthcare to the needy grantee highlights

For nearly 30 years, Charities Aid Foundation of America (CAF America) has broken down the barriers to international giving. CAF America is a global grantmaking organization assisting corporations, foundations, and individuals. Whether supporting organizations working in developing countries, providing swift responses to major disasters, or helping build connections between global communities, CAF America turns donors' visions into impact.  

The number of those showing symptoms of COVID-19 increases daily around the world with the virus affecting hundreds of thousands. Via CAF America, the Avantor Foundation contribution supports the work of hospitals, community-based organizations and other charities that are mobilizing and on the frontlines supporting those affected by the pandemic around the world. The Avantor Foundation donation was recommended to be distributed to organizations across key geographies in which we operate including North America, Western Europe, India and Singapore.

Since its beginning in 1989, Project HOME has been a leader in providing comprehensive and effective services to persons who experience chronic homelessness. With innovation, leadership, and an unyielding commitment to the dignity of each person, they have developed nationally recognized programs that have proven that homelessness can be solved. They have also been a leader in Philadelphia in responding to the root causes of homelessness by helping to rebuild low-income neighborhoods and by engaging in political advocacy to bring about positive public policies for low-income and homeless persons.

Funds from the Avantor Foundation grant supported Project HOME’s health and wellness services for the Medically Underserved populations in Philadelphia. These populations include individuals who have or are currently experiencing homelessness, and residents of Lower North Philadelphia, a government-designated Medically Underserved Area. Health Services were provided at Project HOME's Stephen Klein Wellness Center, a 28,000 square-foot Federally Qualified Health Center, and three satellite sites throughout the city of Philadelphia. This grant supported health services for thousands of patients at the Project HOME Health Services.

The Army Distaff Foundation was established in 1959 to provide a compassionate community with exceptional wellness care and purposeful living for older adults after a lifetime of serving our nation. Care is available to officers of the U.S. uniformed services and eligible family members, as well as high-level officials who served our nation in the Departments of Defense, State, Justice, and Homeland Security and our U.S. National Intelligence Agencies. They provide these services at Knollwood Military Life Plan Community in Northwest Washington, DC. regardless of their residents’ ability to pay. Knollwood offers affordable, top-quality, safe, secure, community living for 300 men and women.

Contributions from the Avantor Foundation supported the purchase of Bioness Integrated Therapy System (BITS). BITS is a very powerful therapy platform designed to assess and improve a broad range of cognitive, visual, auditory, and physical functions, such as visumotor coordination, reaction time, visuospatial perception, visual and auditory processing, working memory, physical and cognitive endurance and more. Because older adults rely on these functions to support activities of daily living, BITS has become an integral part of Knollwood's therapy programs, making therapy more efficient and engaging for their residents. Their therapists are using BITS therapy to help residents retain their independence and improve their quality of life.