Distributions

		Organizations Seeking Grants MSF will accept grant applications from organizations that are (a) registered United States not-for-profit organizations under the federal internal revenue service code 501(c)(3); and (b) are performing work that is within the mission of MSF. Distribution decisions are made annually by the board of directors. In order to be considered for a grant, all grant applications are due by November 1st of each year. Please click on the following link for a download of the application and mail in 3 copies of your request along with other relevant information to MSF, 9095 Furrow Avenue, Ellicott City, Maryland, 21042. Please see below for organizations supported by MSF in the past. AIDS Interfaith Residential Services AIDS Interfaith Residential Services (AIRS) is another Baltimore-based not-for-profit organization. AIRS seeks to provide residential services and a continuum of quality care and support that enhance the lives of low income individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. Established in 1987, AIRS has been serving a population in severe need of support for almost twenty years. There are more than thirty children living in the AIRS community. A key program established by AIRS is their Educational Mentor program for these children. The MSF grant was made to support the cost associated with this position, helping afford these children in need additional opportunities to learn that they otherwise may not have had. Supporting those most in need in Baltimore was important to the MSF board of directors, contributing to the decision to make a grant for $2,000 to AIRS in 2005. MSF contributed an additional $2,000 to AIRS in 2006 towards the development of a strategy and brand which can clearly convey the AIRS' message for the Springhill Center, a new center that will house up to 28 youth and young adults. This branding should help to bring together the missions of 4 distinct groups (Baltimore Homeless Services, Office of Employment Development, Fellowship of Lights, and AIRS) with a single vision for the Springhill Center. African and Medical Research Foundation The mission of African and Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) is to improve the health of disadvantaged people in Africa as a means for them to escape poverty and improve the quality of their lives. Their mission determines that they work in six areas of focus, or Priority Intervention Areas (PIAs), achieved by: developing, testing and promoting the adoption of models for improving health and reducing poverty; training and capacity building at all levels; and contributing to the development of an environment that enables health and wealth improvement. MSF made a grant of $2,000 to AMREF in 2006 to help them work towards continuing to achieve this mission. Catholic Medical Mission Board Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) has a special significance to the Sutphin Family. In 1999, Mia volunteered as a nurse with CMMB in Bihar, India; this experience changed her outlook on life considerably and she was driven further to make a difference to those in need. In 2002, Mia sought another CMMB volunteer assignment, which brought her to care for HIV-infected children at Nyumbani in Kenya, where she worked tirelessly to bring smiles, and hope, into their lives. Over the years, CMMB enriched not only Mia’s life, but also the lives of our entire family. The work of CMMB harmonizes well with the mission of MSF. The CMMB Born to Live program aims to prevent the transmission of HIV from the mother to child, and provide quality care for both mothers and infants in sub-Saharan Africa. Given Mia’s life work to improve the health and livelihoods of children, MSF is particularly interested in this program. In May of 2004, MSF made a grant towards the CMMB Born to Live Program. These funds helped this much needed program to continue to grow and provide hope to thousands of pregnant women and children. The efforts of CMMB to fight HIV/AIDS around the world is critical, and MSF is excited to support this work. In 2005, MSF made an additional grant to CMMB to support the works of Nicole Yaris, a volunteer working in Ecuador. This grant is to support Nicole's physical rehabilitation program. Through this program, Nicole provides physical therapy to Native American children in Ecuador who are victims from accidents, as well a physical disabilities from undiagnosed cerebral palsy. We are delighted that we can support her important work. In 2008, MSF supported CMMB efforts in Uganda where their local staff was dealing with an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. Kurji Holy Family Hospital Founded in 1939, Kurji Holy Family Hospital (Kurji) runs as an equal partnership between the Medical Mission Sisters and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. This 275-bed teaching hospital in Patna, the capital of Bihar, India, received MSF funding in 2007 and 2008 to help with operations. An estimated two-thirds of the Bihar population lives below the poverty line. Day-to-day hospital services include teaching young nurses, providing general care and working extensitvely with TB control and HIV. Because of Mia's time volunteering at Kurji in 1999, we hope to continue this relationship for years to come. Light, Health and Wellness This Baltimore based charity has received MSF grants in 2007 and 2008. Light, Health and Wellness provides comprehensive services for children and families whose lives are affected by health and societal issues in Baltimore. MSF funds supported the Education and Prevention Services Program, consisting of workshops and healthfairs for at risk families. Pamoja Child Trust Pamoja Child Trust (PCT) is a 501(c)(3) public charity, based out of Allentown, Pennsylvania, also registered as a charitable Trust in Kenya in September of 2001. PCT was started by Bonnie Graboski who originally came to Kenya in May of 2000, as a nurse volunteer. She came through Catholic Medical Mission Board to volunteer at Nyumbani, which is an orphanage for HIV positive children (this is where Mia first met Bonnie). Pamoja’s mission is to promote, sponsor and assist Kenyans in developing programs that optimize the physical, emotional, spiritual, mental and social well being of children. In addition, PCT seeks to promote adequate housing, nutrition, sanitation and clean water for children, as well as accessible, affordable and acceptable Primary Health Care. Since official organization in the fall of 2001, the Pamoja Child Trust has accomplished many great works through Bonnie’s tireless efforts. Pamoja Child Trust harmonizes well with the MSF mission. Given Mia’s life work to improve the health and livelihood of children, MSF was particularly interested in Pamoja Child Trust’s objectives “to promote adequate housing, nutrition, sanitation and clean water for children” and “to promote accessible, affordable and acceptable Primary Health Care for children”. MSF contributed $1,000 in 2004 and 2005 to PCT to support its ongoing work with street children in the surrounding villages of Nairobi. The funds were directed to support the above two objectives by complementing existing resources to sustain the daily expenses of providing basic health, hygiene and nutrition support to the youth in their program, including the costs of vitamins, medicines, meals, clothing or any other items that are essential for the boys to attain a healthy, and happy, childhood. Nyumbani In 1992, Father D’Agostino, a Jesuit priest and medical doctor, founded the orphanage, Nyumbani, in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa and its effects on the children and families. Nyumbani means "home" in Swahili, and provides a home, medical care, and spiritual support to children orphaned by or infected with HIV/AIDS. Nyumbani is now home to over 90 children and there is a critical and persistent need for medicine, especially anti-retroviral medications and nutritional supplements. Mia was attracted by Nyumbani's mission, and worked hard to secure a volunteer position there with Catholic Medical Mission Board from February through May, 2002. In June 2003, one year after the establishment of the fund in Mia's name, thanks to incredible support from family and friends, the first distribution was made to Nyumbani. Upon first seeing the children at Nyumbani, Mia wrote, "Made my eyes tear and my heart skip a beat. Absolutely beautiful… gifts from above, no doubt." $1,500 of the grant was to cover medicines and vitamins for ten children for one year. Former Nyumbani volunteer Leo Blythe, who played an invaluable role in Mia’s experience there, also noted the need to foster and promote the children’s spiritual and creative development. These children deserve, like all children – to smile, play, laugh, and sing. So MSF designated the additional $500 to bring laughter into the children’s lives, such as having local artists and musicians visit the orphanage for art, music, and dance. Mia's parents, Cal and Sandy Sutphin supplemented the distributions with a special shipment of toys, games, and sporting goods. Upon receipt of the contributions, Father Angelo D'Agostino, SJ, MD, sent his sincerest thanks and informed us that the $500 for creative development was used towards the costs of a recording of a song about AIDS that reached #11 on the local hit parade. Nyumbani's good works in Kenya continue in a strong way. This relationship has been an important for MSF to maintain due to Mia's strong ties to the orphanage. The board of directors made grants to Nyumbani in 2005 and 2006 to help cover the costs of the salaries for the nurses and general expenses, an integral part in providing the best available care for the children. 2007 and 2008 grants were made to support the children's home. Notre Dame Prep Founded in 1873 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, a teaching order from Germany, Notre Dame Prep (NDP) is one of Baltimore's oldest Catholic, college preparatory schools for girls. NDP exists to educate and inspire young women. Its dedicated religious and lay educators are committed to academic excellence, spiritual growth and the practice of justice in the school community, in the Church and in the world. Notre Dame provides a diverse program that emphasizes the dignity and value of each person as it prepares young women of moral integrity to become more loving, just and wise. The school has inspired more than 6,000 living alumnae and continues to inspire the approximately 730 girls currently enrolled in grades 6-12. Notre Dame Prep is located in Towson, Maryland, north of Baltimore City. NDP is special to the MSF as Mia, Alison and Carrie Sutphin attended the school. NDP has kept Mia's spirit a part of the school through the Mia Sutphin Service Award, given annually to a senior that exemplifies many of the qualities that Mia valued. Mia was also inducted into the NDP Foundress society in 2005. In 2006, MSF made a grant of $500 to NDP's Camp Umoja. Founded in 1984, Camp Umoja has offered a summer day-camp experience to inner-city children ages 6 through 11. Located on the NDP campus, the camp offers daily Red Cross certified swimming lessons, arts and crafts, and a tutoring program. Volunteer counselors from NDP and other area high schools provide the campers with close supervision in a caring atmosphere. Partner's in Health Originating in 1987 as a small clinic in Cange, Haiti, Partner's in Health (PIH) provides basic health care as well as treats complex diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and multidrug-resistant turberculosis, in settings as diverse as the shantytowns of Lima, Peru, and the prisons of Siberia. PIH is a talent-rich medical organization through its partnerships with Harvard Medicine, and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston. Our support in 2007 helped 20 children receive nourishment and medical treatment for a year in Boucan Carre, Haiti. MSF support in 2008 aided PIH programs in Lima, Peru, specifically to provide a year's supply of lifesaving antiretroviral drugs for 10 AIDS patients and the costs of treating malnutrition for 5 children. Save the Children On November 15, 2007 an enormous storm, Cyclone Sidr, directly hit Bangladesh in Southern Asia. Bangladesh is located in a low-lying Ganges River Delta with much of the country barely above sea level. The country is extremely vulnerable to monsoons and cyclones, and often suffers the consequences of flooding. Bangladesh is also one of the most densly populated countries in the world, meaning that when disaster strikes, it affects many. The majority of the coastal communities lost everything - homes were destroyed and estimates expect that nearly 50-90% of crops (mainly rice) will have been lost due to the storm damage and storm surge. Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. They have been working in Bangladesh since 1972, pre-positioned supplies and emergency response staff in the path of the cyclone before it struck and has reached more than 130,000 families in eight of the hardest hit districts. The 2008 MSF grant has aided their support this area. St. Vincent's Chara House Chara House is a community-based, transitional home for infants and toddlers from birth to four years of age with medical and developmental challenges such as prenatal drug exposure and HIV/AIDS. Chara House staff provide a home-like environment that is both nurturing and therapeutic that serves to stabilize and enhance the lives of the children. They work to guarantee that appropriate community-based resources are implemented to maintain optimal health and development. By working closely with others involved with the child, an appropriate transition to a permanent placement is ensured when the child is ready. MSF became initially connected to Chara House through many friends of Mia that volunteered their time in her name back in 2002 to help Chara House continue their good works. The Chara House mission is a good fit with the mission of MSF and is also important as they serve those in need right here in Baltimore. MSF contributed $2,000 to Chara House in 2005 to help purchase two key pieces of clinical equipment that will help the children to receive some of the best care available. An additional $250 contribution was made in 2006 towards the purchase of an Amby Motion Bed Infant Package. World Food Programme The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) received a MSF grant in 2007 towards efforts in Darfur, Sudan, helping the more than 2 million displaced people in this war-torn country. The Darfur conflict began in February 2003, following two decades of civil war in Sudan. UN Estimates report the Darfur conflict has left nearly 450,000 people dead from both violence and disease. Globally, WFP food aid reaches overl 96 million people in 82 countries. WFP's innovative projects not only put food on the tables of the weakest and poorest (jobless mothers, school children, landless farmers and HIV orphans), they also help the hungry to secure food and an income so they can break out of the poverty trap and build a sustainable future.