STRIVE™ Awards Program
Patient advocacy organizations play a vital role in giving a voice to those affected by rare diseases.
They serve their communities by providing much needed resources and support, raising awareness and funds. These organizations also provide critical perspectives and education to industry partners, by sharing insights into the lives of patients and what they need most from treatments and services.
Inspired by the vital role patient advocacy groups play for those living with rare diseases and their loved ones, PTC Therapeutics launched the grant awards program Strategies to Realize Innovation, Vision, and Empowerment (STRIVE) in 2015. Patient advocacy organizations have always been valued partners to PTC, and have played important roles in our research and development programs. PTC created STRIVE to encourage and reward innovation by patient advocacy organizations by supporting their unique ideas and programs that help to address the needs of people living with Duchenne around the world.
The goal of STRIVE is to provide funds to patient advocacy organizations to develop unique and collaborative programs that will make meaningful contributions to the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community by increasing awareness, diagnosis, education or fostering development of future patient advocates.
It was designed to support programs that address unmet needs for the Duchenne community, to:
- Improve diagnosis and treatment of patients
- Improve quality of life for those living with Duchenne and their families
- Educate the public and healthcare professionals and raise Duchenne awareness, and
- Identify and foster the next generation of Duchenne patient advocates.
Organizations are invited to submit entries to fund projects focused on one of two categories: Innovation, or programs that help address the unmet needs of the rare disease community, or Transition to Adulthood, programs that support young people with Duchenne in their ‘transition to adulthood’. An independent panel of external experts with knowledge in rare diseases, patient advocacy and funding initiatives judge the entries for feasibility, creativity, budget, impact and sustainability.
Mary Frances Harmon Senior Vice President, Corporate and Patient RelationsWe have a tremendous amount of respect for the important services and programs provided by these organizations for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community. PTC Therapeutics shares the same commitment as each of these organizations with patients at the center of everything we do.
From our work on the STRIVE program, we have gained invaluable and critically important information about the global Duchenne community, especially the nuances around needs and specific situations across geographies. We’ve learned that the type of support and programming needed varies from country to country, region to region. Reading the innovative project submissions helps us to be a better, more informed partner to the Duchenne community.
Since its inception, STRIVE has supported 41 patient-focused initiatives from not-for-profit organizations in 20 countries. Past STRIVE grant recipients have developed programs to support the transition from adolescence to adulthood, improved access to diagnosis and treatment, supplied vital physical and social care to those affected and their caregivers, created career opportunities for adults with Duchenne and raised awareness of the disease in educational, public, and healthcare settings.
At PTC, we are proud to support patient advocacy groups and the incredible impact they make on the Duchenne community, by helping to improve the lives of those living with Duchenne in so many ways. We applaud their commitment, creativity and innovation, and stand with them in their dedication to the rare disease community.
Strategies to Realize Innovation, Vision, and Empowerment
STRIVE recognizes and supports nonprofit organizations committed to serving rare disease communities. By recognizing the vital role patient advocacy groups play, we can give voice to those affected by these rare diseases.