Philanthropy New York: November 1, 2021 – The Sozosei Foundation, a philanthropic arm of Otsuka, has reached an important milestone in its grant-giving program to decriminalize mental illness. In 2021, the Foundation awarded $4 million in grants to 29 nonprofit organizations working to eliminate the inappropriate use of jails and prisons for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
Philanthropy New York: August 15, 2021 - The Sozosei Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. (OPAI), has approved grants through its Resilient Communities Program.
Inside Philanthropy: July 1, 2021 - Sozosei recently announced the commitment of $1 million in grants to 10 organizations working to make the impending nationwide rollout of the new 988 emergency phone number a success. Grants in this first round went to groups focusing on advocacy, research and workforce development. The recipients are: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Council of State Governments Justice Center, Inseparable, Kennedy Forum, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, the Path Forward for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, The Trevor Project, and the University of Chicago Health Lab.
The Foundation recently kicked off a series of Global Solution Labs to surface more knowledge and perspectives about how to create a future where mental illness is not treated as a crime. Over 50 multidisciplinary “Solutionists” gathered on May 7, 2021, to take on the ambitious task of identifying the top solutions to move the needle on the decriminalization of mental illness.
In the spirit of collaboration, we recently hosted a Virtual Book Club featuring authors and renowned psychiatrist Dr. James Knoll and renowned psychologist Dr. Joel Dvoskin. Led by Sozosei Board Member, Mary Chi Michael, Dr. Knoll and Dr. Dvoskin discussed their contribution to the recently released book, “Decriminalizing Mental Illness” with more than 100 attendees.