Gift from a Child Grants
Since 2016 the Swifty Foundation has been the primary funder of the Gift from a Child initiative. As of the fourth quarter 2024 the Michael’s Master Plan Fund will fund future GFAC grants and expenses. The fund will be housed at the CHOP Foundation. Swifty Foundation leadership still has oversight of the Michael’s Master Plan Fund and its budget.
You can learn more about post-mortem tissue donation and our national post-mortem tissue donation program by visiting the website GiftfromaChild.org.
Support for Gift from a Child Programs, Website and Marketing
From 2016-2024 Swifty has provided the funding and professional support to develop and maintain the Gift from a Child website, hospital advocacy programs, conference attendance, and marketing materials necessary for education and advocacy. As of the fourth quarter 2024 the Michael’s Master Plan Fund at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation will fund those expenses.
Post-Mortem Tissue Collection Grants
Tissue Navigator Job Description: The Navigator will educate patients, families and staff about the value of tissue donation, assist patients and families with the logistics related to tissue donation, and coordinate tissue donations from other local and regional centers without formal donation programs.
Tissue Navigator at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine
2019 Grant Award: $298,487/3 years
This grant establishes a Tissue Navigator at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medicine who will also facilitate donations at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Tissue Navigator at Children’s National Hospital
2019 Grant Award: $355,515/3 years
In addition to supporting the navigator this grant will cover costs associated with post-mortem tissue collection including transportation, pathology, collection kits, shipping and storage.
Tissue Navigator at Monje Lab, Stanford Medicine
2018 Grant Award $300,000/3 years
This grant establishes a Tissue Navigator at Dr. Michelle Monje’s lab. This navigator will also perform post-mortem brain tumor tissue recoveries for cell culture, xenograft models and genomics.
Tissue Navigator at Lurie Children’s Hospital
2017 Grant Award: 2017 $300,000/3 years
The CBTTC Infrastructure Development
2019 Grant Award: $1,000,000.
Swifty’s grant was matched by CHOP Children’s Surgical Associates and became a first of its kind investment for the Children’s Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium to directly support needed personnel and research initiatives. This investment will position CBTTC for successful investment by the NIH NCI.
The CBTTC Post-Mortem Tissue Donation Program
2016 Grant Award: $300,000/2 years
The operations center of the Children’s Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium (CBTTC) is at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The Tissue Navigator at CHOP serves as the national coordinator for autopsy donation inquiries and works closely with the navigators at each of the regional sites.
Please visit the Gift from a Child website to contact a Tissue Navigator or learn more about this important program.