Published 11-29-22
Submitted by Alkermes
Originally published in Alkermes 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report
Alkermes respects the culture, customs and values of the people in the communities in which we operate. We seek to support and positively impact these communities through our grant programs, sponsorship contributions and volunteer support.
Sponsorships
Alkermes is proud to be part of the broader healthcare community that supports individuals with addiction, serious mental illness or cancer. In support of these efforts, we foster and maintain relationships with a variety of health-related and public policy organizations. In 2021, we continued to sponsor non-profit organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Partnership to End Addiction, and continued to bring awareness to programs and initiatives of other organizations that work to improve the lives of people affected by mental illness and addiction. In oncology, we sponsored several initiatives with tumor-specific and pan-tumor advocacy organizations, including the Melanoma Research Foundation, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Cancer Support Community and the American Cancer Society, which are focused on patient, survivor and caregiver support, education and research.
Funding in Support of Research and Charitable Organizations
Innovative research, programming and funding are urgently needed to support those who are living with addiction, serious mental illness and cancer. In 2021, Alkermes awarded approximately $1.6 million in research grants and charitable donations in support of these communities.
Inspiration Grants
Since 2016, our Alkermes Inspiration Grants® program has awarded more than $4 million in funding to innovative programs that support the needs of people impacted by addiction, serious mental illness and cancer. In 2021, we received more than 250 applications for this highly competitive program, and grants were awarded to 11 nonprofit organizations working to address the needs of people living with these complex conditions, including programs serving historically under-resourced or underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), members of the LGBTQ+ community, veterans, women and people impacted by the U.S. criminal justice system.
The 11 grant recipients included the following:
Pathways
Since 2016, the Alkermes Pathways Research Awards program has provided funding to 16 researchers working to advance our understanding of diseases in the field of neuroscience.
The annual program provides opportunities for individual grants of up to $100,000 per research project for early-career investigators focused on research relating to substance use disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Information about past grant recipients can be found on the Research & Medical Grants page of the Research & Development section of our website.
4th Annual Alkermes Pathways Research Awards Program Recipients:
Community Engagement
Our employees are passionate about helping to care for people and the environment in the local communities in which we work, supporting not only organizations and programs that are connected to the diseases that our medicines treat, but also causes for which they feel a personal connection through their own experience or that of their loved ones.
United States
In 2009, a group of employees started Alkermes in Action, an annual program of volunteering to support our local communities with hands-on activities that align with our values and embody our compassion. Over the past decade, more than 5,000 volunteers have worked with more than 50 local community organizations, establishing meaningful, long-term relationships with many of them.
In 2021, this program consisted of a mix of virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities with local organizations focused on education, caring for veterans, maintaining outdoor community spaces and providing for children and families in need.
Since 2014, when Alkermes supported renovation of the Bristol Lodge Soup Kitchen in Waltham, MA, Alkermes employees have routinely volunteered to make and serve fresh meals at the kitchen. Despite volunteering restrictions due to COVID-19, Alkermes employees continued to support the soup kitchen throughout 2021 in a socially-distanced manner by ordering and delivering pre-packaged meals from local restaurants.
Ireland
Alkermes employees in Ireland proudly support local organizations that seek to address a range of needs including mental health, cancer care, education, shelter and domestic abuse services and homelessness, among others. In 2021, as COVID-19 restrictions continued to impact our employees’ ability to volunteer in person, this support was achieved through a combination of financial contributions and employee participation in virtual events. Some examples of the organizations and initiatives supported include:
Alkermes plc is a fully-integrated, global biopharmaceutical company developing innovative medicines in the fields of neuroscience and oncology. The company has a portfolio of proprietary commercial products focused on alcohol dependence, opioid dependence, schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder, and a pipeline of product candidates in development for neurological disorders and cancer. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Alkermes plc has an R&D center in Waltham, Massachusetts; a research and manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland; and a manufacturing facility in Wilmington, Ohio. For more information, please visit Alkermes' website at www.alkermes.com.
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