To inspire hope and possibility in young adults who are living with life-threatening illnesses

Life Grants

What is a Life Grant™? If you are between the ages of 18 and 30 and have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, you can apply for a Life Grant™. A Life Grant is an award up to $5,000 to be used in the fulfillment of a dream, goal, or project that you take on to make a difference in your life and the lives of others. What makes a Great Life Grant Project? Considering it is about your self expression and contribution to others, the sky is the limit. Some examples might include: organizing a fundraiser for something you are passionate about; starting your own business; launching a product or invention; taking a photography class; producing a cd of your music or a book of your poetry; traveling the world on a goodwill mission. So if you can dream it and it makes a difference for yourself and others (in other words it “grants life") it qualifies. Why Life Grants? When Cameron Siemers was diagnosed with HIV, doctors told him he would not live past age 10. With recent advances in medicine, Cameron fought his prognosis and is miraculously outliving his life expectancy. Although many foundations help children cope with life-threatening illnesses, Cameron found that these support systems disappeared when he reached 18 years of age. He was then faced with a new challenge: how to transition into adulthood and live a normal life. For Cameron, the answer came through service. He chose to devote his life to helping others like him face these exciting new challenges. He wondered how people like him could create a fulfilling and satisfying life with all of the obstacles that lined their paths. What are their dreams and life's goals, and how will they reach them? It was with these simple questions that the Life Grants program began. Life Grants inspire hope and possibility in young adults who are making the often challenging transition to adulthood. If you are a young adult who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, we invite you to imagine, apply, and create what your life is about. Imagine Imagine what you could do with up to $5,000. Develop a product that will change the world? Sponsor an event that'll make a profound difference in your community? Start a charitable foundation to address an issue close to your heart? Launch a business that will impact the lives of thousands of people? A Life Grant is up to $5,000 worth of fuel for your imagination. It's time for you to jumpstart that engine. Apply The next step is to apply. This is your opportunity to tell us why you should receive a Life Grant. How will your project touch the lives of your community? What will you do to make a difference? Download the application to learn more about the program's requirements. You won't know unless you try, right? Get in the game and apply for a chance to change your world. Create Now comes the fun part: implementing your dream. This is where you take the Life Grant and create the project you proposed. A Life Grant coach will be available during this process to ensure that you are spending your grant as wisely as possible. And once your dream is fulfilled, it's time to tell others about it. Your story will be added to the other Life Grant stories on our Web site. Sharing your story will inspire hope and possibility in others like you; it's as simple and as powerful as that.