The Jason Becker Creative Care Project pilot program:

The NOT DEAD YET FUND

Our goal for 2024/2025 is to establish Special Needs Trusts for 10 – 20 people facing chronic medical challenges comprised of a combination of loss of movement, loss of speech, ventilator dependence, and impaired ability to eat/drink by mouth. After establishing these SNTs we intend to deposit amounts of up to $5000 into them, depending on the needs and resources of the recipients.  In subsequent years we intend to make much larger grants in order to make true optimal care possible for our recipients. Our 2024/2025 Not Dead Yet Fund program budget is estimated to be $100k. This is an ambitious sum for a new nonprofit, but keeping people NOT DEAD YET does not come cheap. If a person needs reliable caregivers, and a caregiver needs a living wage, then the math becomes:

Hourly living wage (California) $40 x 24hrs x 7day/week x 52wks/year
Total: $349,440 per person/year

Add an upgrade in housing, transportation, equipment and supplies, the number goes up.  We hope to increase our capacity to grant assistance very quickly, as many people needing care do not have the luxury of time, and living with the stress of inadequate care takes a heavy toll, accelerating deterioration.

We believe that the effects of the infusion of essential resources will be dramatic and result in measurably better outcomes, and that the resulting data, when studied, will irrefutably demonstrate the importance of effective, reliable at-home care. Such conclusions must eventually be reflected in healthcare policy, and someday it will not be left to non-profits like us to close all the dangerous, life-threatening gaps.

Will you be part of this never attempted work? Here’s how you or your organization can help.