UPENN Orphan Disease Program Grants
Since 2013, Penn Medicine Orphan Disease Center (ODC) has hosted the Million Dollar Bike Ride. The Million Dollar Bike Ride brings over 600 cyclists and volunteers to Penn’s campus to ride either 12, 33, or 73 miles starting in the city and ranging across the Greater Philadelphia region. All funds raised by Disease Teams through pledges are used by the ODC to expand the scope and depth of the pilot grant program. After the event, a Request for Application (RFA) is distributed to the international scientific community requesting pilot grant applications to study diseases for which designated money has been raised.
The ODC also procures philanthropic and corporate donations that are used to match dollar‐for‐dollar money raised by the cycling participants for their particular diseases.
The LAM Foundation Easy Breathers Cycling Team, led by LAM patients and families, has been a staple of the Million Dollar Bike Ride since its inception. Together, The Easy Breathers, UPenn, and The LAM Foundation have raised more than $657,000 in 7 years. This year, the team’s efforts will push us over the half-million-dollar mark! This money is distributed in a pilot grant per year that goes directly to LAM research. The awards have included 8 pilot grants to some of our most dedicated and recognized LAM scientists. Collaborations like the MDBR are how patients and families move scientific progress forward – these projects would have otherwise gone unfunded.
To learn more about the Million Dollar Bike Ride Pilot Grant Program and how to apply, click here.
To learn more about other grant opportunities, click here.