What is the purpose of this grant?
A short-term financial assistance welfare grant of up to 6 months to help patients (and their families) stay supported while coping with unemployment due to their medical challenges.
What is the grant amount?
Successful applicants will receive up to $1,400 per month, depending on their financial and family circumstances.
Who can qualify for this grant?
Applicants must:
- Have any of the following conditions:
- Rheumatoid arthritis Ankylosing Spondylitis & Spondyloarthropathies, Psoriatic arthritis, Gout, Pseudogout, JIA, Osteoarthritis
- Mixed connective tissue disease, Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis), Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, Anti-synthetase syndrome
- Adult-onset Still’s Disease
- Systemic Vasculitis Behcet’s disease
- Antiphospholipid Syndrome
- Osteoporosis
- Inborn-Errors of Immunity
- IgG4-related diseases
- Hold a blue or orange CHAS card
- Have a home annual value below $31,000
- Be unemployed for at least the past 4 months
- Be able to commit volunteering hours with NAF
Volunteering requirement
Successful applicants will be assigned suitable volunteering stints at NAF. Volunteering is a pre-requisite for fund disbursement.
These opportunities will:
- Help applicants stay meaningfully engaged
- Build new skills and confidence
- Strengthen their CVs and employment profiles for seeking long-term employment
- Foster community connection and purpose
