Grants

Overview

Kidney transplantation is considered the optimal treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease, usually increasing quality of life and survival. With very few new ESRD patients receiving a pre-emptive kidney transplant and with only a fraction ultimately receiving transplants, inventive new strategies to increase kidney donations and transplants are not only essential—but critical—to the survival of the nearly 100,000 patients currently on the kidney transplant waitlist. Greater efforts must be made to increase the number of transplants, reduce transplant wait times and kidney discards, and eliminate donation barriers.

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Goals

KTC will fund innovative programs and best practices that are able to demonstrate an increase in kidney transplants or reduce the many barriers and challenges for kidney transplant recipients, donors, and families. The grants awarded by KTC will range from $50,000 to $3 million for projects spanning up to 24 months in duration.

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Grant Program Areas of Interest

KTC welcomes all grant submissions that advance the mission of increasing kidney transplant rates or that reduce financial barriers and challenges for recipients, donors, and families. All new, innovative ideas and projects that align with these two important goals will be strongly considered.

KTC is also interested in learning more about potential grant projects that align with the organization’s policy interests – living donor compensation, expansion of the paired and chain kidney donation programs as well as patient engagement and transparency with organ acceptance and waitlist management.

Other general grant areas that may be of interest are:

Projects that expand living donor chains and optimal sharing of deceased donor kidneys.
Projects to reduce deceased donor kidney wastage.

Projects or collaborations between organizations to develop and implement mentoring programs to increase kidney transplantation. Potential examples are, but are not limited to:

  • Provide direct quality improvement support using best practice methods to increase kidney transplants.
  • Develop programs that ease financial barriers for economically or geographically challenged patients.
  • Facilitate mentoring partnerships on key performance metrics with an emphasis on offer acceptance for recipients by transplant centers.

Development of patient engagement programs to increase awareness, shared decision-making, and actions around patient advocacy for access to transplants. Potential examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Develop better patient communications and information on the organ acceptance processes.
  • Provide greater transparency and periodic feedback to waitlisted patients about kidneys declined on their behalf.
  • Inform patients of living and paired donation options.
  • Educate patients on the tradeoffs in dialysis mortality and the pros and cons of accepting an available kidney versus waiting for a more perfect kidney.
  • Educate patients, donors, and their families about the extensive variation in transplant center wait times, organ offer acceptance rates, variations in waitlisting practices, and other information that will help them become more empowered regarding their transplantation options.
Development of any novel strategies or programs that directly accelerate access to kidney transplantation, reduce time on dialysis, and reduce the cost of care.

Organizations Eligible for KTC Grant Funding

KTC will accept grant proposals from any kidney transplant center, Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), ESRD Network, dialysis provider or professional organization in the kidney and transplant community that is able to successfully demonstrate an increase in kidney transplant rates within the timeframe of two years.

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Grant Program Evaluation

Grant program submissions will be reviewed by KTC’s Expert Advisory Panel, comprised of experts with technical, clinical, and quality expertise in the kidney transplant community.

Grant submissions will be scored on the following:

  • Strength of the technical proposal
  • Measurable outcomes that result in increased kidney transplantation
  • Allocation of resources (budget)
  • Expertise and qualifications of key personnel involved
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Portrait of smiling home caregiver and senior woman

It is essential that the kidney transplant community continue to aggressively explore innovative new kidney transplant methods, strategies and programs that can be implemented at the state, regional and federal level to significantly increase kidney donation and transplantation.

Grants Program Questions

Roey Ahram, Ph.D.
Grants Administrator
[email protected]
202-508-1470