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"AHA!"
Every breakthrough begins with a spark — that moment when a caregiver sees a better way forward. Across Cleveland Clinic, these lightbulb moments have already transformed healthcare for patients around the world.
Catalyst Grants are awarded to Cleveland Clinic caregivers — from patient transporters to world‑renowned researchers — to turn their ideas into innovations that improve care for patients, strengthen our organization and benefit communities worldwide. Since launching in 2018, the program has upheld a simple promise: to bring forward meaningful ideas and have pathways to make them real. Twice a year, caregivers from across the nation submit applications to make their cases on why their projects should be funded. These range from creating a space for nurses to cope after losing a patient to developing robotic systems to measure the rigidity of Parkinson’s patients. Our caregivers are bursting with ideas. We have received over 2,000 applications and awarded millions of dollars in funding to hundreds of caregiver-led projects. Donations are pooled together to support the brightest of them. Grants are awarded twice a year in amounts up to $100,000. On average, $2 million is granted each round.
A Good Problem to Have
Only 17% of ideas are funded.
With your help, we can do much more.
Bringing Inspiring Ideas to Life
It is astounding just how many incredible proposals we receive. Our caregivers are inspired as they see the needs of our patients and the needs within each other. In turn, we’re motivated to build upon our foundation of healthcare excellence. Unfortunately, we cannot fund them all. Not without your help.
Catalyst Grants are designed for momentum. Awardees must use their funding within one year, ensuring your gift makes a difference right away. Each application includes a detailed project budget and undergoes rigorous review by a multidisciplinary committee. Grants are awarded twice a year — in January and July — turning bold ideas into real solutions.
Putting the Dollars to Work
At Cleveland Clinic, innovative ideas don’t sit on a shelf. They grow into solutions that improve care here and around the world. Many Catalyst Grant projects even become permanent programs. What limits us isn’t imagination; it’s the philanthropic support that brings these ideas to life. Our brighter future is happening now, and you play a vital role in making it happen. With so many promising proposals — each with the potential to change lives — choosing which projects to fund is never easy. Every gift matters, and we are deeply grateful. With contributions of $100,000 or more, even more transformative ideas can move forward this year. Catalyst Grants are a rare kind of initiative, and their impact is already profound. Thanks to partners like you, we are improving the health and well‑being of patients and caregivers across our global healthcare system. Your gift is the electrifying investment.
Ideas Have Power
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Ideas That Shine
Discover More Stories
A caregiver is bridging care and essential resources to uplift vulnerable patients.
Meeting People Where They Are
Please consider supporting the Catalyst Grants program at Cleveland Clinic.
A new program is helping families and caregivers support preemies’ early development.
Empowering Families in the NICU
An educator is using VR to enhance anatomy learning and prepare future clinicians.
A New Reality for Medical Students
Caregivers create joyful milestones for patients at Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
From Patient to Child Again
Dedicated lactation space improves comfort and privacy for breastfeeding families.
Where Care Meets Comfort
Aromatherapy is proving to ease patients' anxiety during cardiac MRIs.
Soothing MRI Fear with Smell
A novel study led to Oral Immunotherapy becoming a service line.
Solutions for Peanut Allergies
Two nurses are transforming ostomy care with personalized supplies for patients.
Redefining Recovery in Ostomy Care
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Click each story to see how caregivers are bringing new possibilities to life — and how every Catalyst Grant becomes a spark for transformation, powered by your generosity.
Sundrea Wilcox, MA, has spent nearly 20 years serving her community with compassion, integrity and purpose. As a leader in Community Health at Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital, she’s seen firsthand how social determinants of health — like food insecurity, housing instability and limited access to technology — can affect some of our most vulnerable patients. Determined to do more, Sundrea turned insight into action. With the support of a Catalyst Grant, she and her colleagues opened the Community Resource Center at Euclid Hospital, which now helps to bridge medical care and essential social support. “Patients view this hospital as a safe haven,” says Sundrea. “I don’t want people leaving in the same despair they arrived in. We are fully closing the loop and making sure everyone leaves knowing Euclid Hospital took care of them.” Patients are screened during registration, and those in need are connected to vital resources before they leave: nonperishable food, fresh clothes, hygiene items and critical connections to social services. The center also includes a computer lab, where patients can log into MyChart, schedule follow-up appointments and participate in digital literacy classes, which is especially important because some people do not have internet access at home.
Initiatives like the Community Resource Center at Euclid Hospital can even turn into permanent programs within our enterprise and be used in various locations around the world. We are limited only by the philanthropic support we receive from our generous donors, as we have a plethora of ideas from caregivers. Our brighter future is happening now, and you can be part of it.
“This project is about meeting people where they are — not assuming that just because we offer support, they have access to it,” says Sundrea. “We’re trying to transform lives by being preventative, making sure patients leave with what they need and know that if they ever have to come back, we’ll be here for them again.” Catalyst Grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors. The competitive grants are awarded to caregivers with ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. Sundrea was awarded about $34,000. “I literally screamed when I got the Catalyst Grant,” says Sundrea. “It was amazing, and I’m so grateful to have brought this to the community. This is for everyone, even caregivers. We’re one community. It’s about building sustainable, meaningful programs with our partners, like the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, that truly reflect change.” Sundrea feels she’s living her purpose, and she’s energized for what comes next. With the Community Resource Center now thriving, she’s focused on expanding its reach, deepening partnerships and continuing to remove barriers to healing.
For patients without reliable internet at home, the Community Resource Center’s computer lab provides a simple, supportive space to schedule follow-up care.
Empowering Families and Caregivers in the NICU
Babies born prematurely enter the world before they are fully ready. In the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), they encounter light, sound and touch far earlier than nature intended, when they would otherwise still be cocooned in the womb. At this critical stage of development, their brains remain highly sensitive, making the environment around them especially important. For both parents and caregivers, knowing how to provide the right kind of support can feel overwhelming. Kathleen Kelsay, MS, CCC‑SLP, CNT, a Speech‑Language Pathologist at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, has seen this challenge time and time again. She saw an opportunity to empower families and her teammates — all she needed was the resources to make it happen. She implemented the Supporting and Enhancing NICU Sensory Experiences (SENSE) program, which guides parents and caregivers week by week on how to interact with preemies in ways that match their neurological readiness. By reshaping the NICU experience, the program helps families feel confident while giving babies the gentle, developmentally appropriate care they need to thrive. “Parents are often terrified in the NICU,” says Kathleen. “They are afraid to touch their baby, even though that’s what the baby needs and what the parent needs. This is really going to give parents the confidence to actually participate and be part of their baby’s care from day one.”
Initiatives like the SENSE program can even turn into permanent programs within our enterprise and be used in various locations around the world. We are limited only by the philanthropic support we receive from our generous donors, as we have a plethora of ideas from caregivers. Our brighter future is happening now, and you can be part of it.
For example, a baby born at 24 weeks is especially vulnerable to stimulation. Loud noises can easily overwhelm them, so conversations near the baby should be kept soft and calm. Likewise, light should be introduced gradually and in small amounts to protect their developing senses. “It's setting the groundwork for the rest of their life,” says Kathleen. “The neurodevelopment happens so rapidly at this age, so it’s really important that we are doing it the right way. These small things now will continue to affect them in a positive way for years to come.” To better support caregivers and parents, weekly guideline cards have been placed near each bed in the NICU. These cards outline what interactions are appropriate for a baby’s stage of development and serve as a quick reference for families. They also keep track of what’s being done and when on each day, like an hour of skin-to-skin contact, ensuring every baby receives consistent, nurturing care. Catalyst Grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors. The competitive grants are awarded to caregivers with ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. Kathleen was awarded about $9,000. “The Catalyst Grant has allowed us to do everything that we needed to do so that we could get people trained and get this program into our NICU,” says Kathleen. “I think it will really change the culture of the NICU forever.”
Premature birth poses serious risks as vital organs are still developing, but medical advances give these babies the chance to overcome early challenges and grow into healthy children.
A New Reality for Medical Training
A dedicated educator at Cleveland Clinic is taking medical students out of the traditional classroom and into a virtual world where they can build critical skills before ever stepping into the lab. William Albabish, PhD, MS, is much more than an educator. As Director of the Anatomy and Body Donation Program and Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, he brings a unique perspective on how students learn best. Driven by his passion for education as well as the latest and greatest technology, Dr. Albabish applied for — and received — a Catalyst Grant. That pivotal support has allowed him to transform the learning experience by bringing virtual reality (VR) into the curriculum, helping students build confidence before the hands-on work begins. “We offer a world-renowned lab where students get to work with cadavers, but it’s sometimes difficult to explore the clinical implications as deeply as we’d like after going over the anatomy,” says Dr. Albabish. “My goal is to create tools that will better prepare the students for the lab so that they’re ready to apply those clinical skills as soon as they walk in.” Dr. Albabish is creating 3D scans of cadavers that students can explore using VR headsets. In the virtual environment, students can fully interact with each model — rotating it, resizing it, moving it around and examining it from the inside out, almost like flipping through the pages of a book.
Initiatives like this VR cadaver program can even turn into permanent programs within our enterprise and be used in various locations around the world. We are limited only by the philanthropic support we receive from our generous donors, as we have a plethora of ideas from caregivers. Our brighter future is happening now, and you can be part of it.
“As an example, we created a room that we call the Neuroverse, where students can look at the cranial nerves and the skull,” says Dr. Albabish. “The human skull has all these little holes in it that students need to understand, including the nerves that pass through them. With virtual reality, they can scale the skull up to the size of a living room and examine each opening closely to see exactly how the nerves travel through them and where they go.” Catalyst Grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors. The competitive grants are awarded to caregivers with ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. Dr. Albabish was awarded about $99,000. “The Catalyst Grant really changed everything,” says Dr. Albabish. “It allowed us to be front-runners with this new technology, and it gave us the ability to innovate at an incredible speed. It allowed me to do what I am passionate about and bring it all together to make a big impact.” Today, Dr. Albabish is building a novel library of VR experiences that’s reshaping how students learn. These immersive tools don’t replace hands‑on training — they elevate it, giving future clinicians a chance to practice and refine their skills long before they reach the bedside. The result is simple but powerful: more confident learners and, ultimately, better care for the patients they will serve. Dr. Albabish admits he’s learning a few new things along the way, too. “The students are amazing, and they keep you sharp,” says Dr. Albabish. “They keep you humble, really, because we learn from them just as much as we teach them, if not more. And the best part of my job is when the students have those aha moments.”
Dr. Albabish is building a cadaver‑based digital anatomy library that gives students an immersive way to connect classroom learning with real human anatomy.
Please consider supporting the Catalyst Grants program at Cleveland Clinic facilities.
From Patient to Child Again: Creating Joyful Moments
Childhood is shaped by memorable moments, like birthday parties, school dances and graduations. But for some pediatric patients at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, long hospital stays and serious illnesses mean missing out on those important life events. Fortunately, Cleveland Clinic is home to many exceptional caregivers, and among the most dedicated are its Child Life Specialists and Creative Arts Therapists. These compassionate caregivers work tirelessly to bring comfort, joy and a sense of normalcy to children during treatment. Child Life Specialists already go above and beyond to make the experience feel a little more like home. But Caitlin Wolf, MS, CCLS, saw an opportunity to do even more. Together with her co-applicants, Meredith McCulloch, MA, ATR-BC, PC, REAT, LPAT, art therapist, and Jordan Oldham, CCLS, Child Life Specialist, she pursued a Catalyst Grant to turn that vision into reality. “So much is taken from these kids when they're in the hospital,” says Caitlin. “So many things happen to them that are out of their control. The funding allowed us to give these experiences back to them, helping them to feel like kids again and not just patients.”
Initiatives like this can even turn into permanent programs within our enterprise and be used in various locations around the world. We are limited only by the philanthropic support we receive from our generous donors, as we have a plethora of ideas from caregivers. Our brighter future is happening now, and you can be part of it.
Thanks to this initiative, countless moments have been created for patients at Cleveland Clinic Children's. Ava Cooper shared a father-daughter dance in a Valentine’s-themed hospital room. The team decked out Evan Lallo’s hospital room with Cleveland Cavaliers-themed items and Fatheads of players to commemorate the completion of his 14 cycles of chemotherapy. Other special touches include recordable story books where parents can record their voice and scrapbooks filled with Polaroid pictures and personalized notes from caregivers. “The Catalyst Grant helped make those things happen,” says Caitlin. “It allows families to feel seen and cared for in ways that go beyond traditional medicine. Yes, we’re giving these kids the best medical care, but we’re also helping care for their families as a whole. That’s what this work is really about.” Catalyst Grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors. The competitive grants are awarded to caregivers with ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. Caitlin was awarded about $35,000. “We absolutely would not have been able to do a lot of it without the Catalyst Grant,” says Caitlin. “It’s made a powerful impact. Every kid, every family—even those facing the same diagnosis and treatment—experience their journey in a completely different way. This support allowed us to celebrate them and their milestones.”
The team at Cleveland Clinic Children’s decorated patient Evan Lallo’s hospital room to celebrate his last round of chemotherapy for Ewing sarcoma. (Courtesy: Megan Lallo)
Redefining Recovery: Transforming Ostomy Care
When a patient undergoes a surgical procedure requiring an ostomy, they leave the hospital with a new reality. The surgery creates a stoma, a new opening on the abdomen that allows waste to exit the body into a medical pouch worn on the skin. That pouch must be sealed correctly to avoid leaks, discomfort and distress. But no two bodies are the same, and neither are their needs. At Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, Jody Fuson, BSN, RN, COCN, PCCN, saw firsthand how challenging this transition could be. Patients are often discharged after surgery with standard flat ostomy pouches, only to return to the emergency room when those pouches fail to fit properly. Determined to change that, Jody teamed up with Patti Grossnickle, BSN, RN, CWON, to apply for a Catalyst Grant. Their mission: to better equip ostomy patients with the right tools and support for life at home. “Each patient needs a different combination of products,” says Jody. “It’s like a recipe. You have to pick the specialty items from each category to make it all work, and it is very patient-specific. There are a lot of different features to each type of pouch, along with many choices of accessory products." Before this initiative, patients were coming to Jody in crisis. What should have been a step toward healing had become a source of shame and fear. She saw the urgency and knew something needed to be done.
Initiatives like the ostomy supply closet can even turn into permanent programs within our enterprise and be used in various locations around the world. We are limited only by the philanthropic support we receive from our generous donors, as we have a plethora of ideas from caregivers. Our brighter future is happening now, and you can be part of it.
“Patients come to us having their pouch fall off four or five times a day, and they can’t leave their house,” says Jody. “So they have terrible self-esteem and no quality of life at that point. After appropriately fitting them with something that actually works, the transformation is huge.” Thanks to their efforts and the Catalyst Grant, the Outpatient Wound and Ostomy Clinic will have a well-stocked community ostomy supply closet. It will provide patients with immediate, leak-free pouching solutions, which enhance comfort, prevent infection and restore confidence. Catalyst Grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors. The competitive grants are awarded to caregivers with ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. Jody was awarded nearly $56,000. “We spent a lot of time getting everything ready to put into the grant application,” says Jody. “To have done all of that work and then have this reward of the Catalyst Grant was just so exciting, and our leadership was very excited too.”
Ostomies are often necessary due to conditions like cancer, inflammatory bowel disease or diverticulitis. For some patients, they’re a temporary part of recovery. For others, they become a lifelong companion in managing their health.
Where Care Meets Comfort: Launching A New Lactation Area
Finding a place to breastfeed or pump in public can be challenging for many mothers and even more so in a hospital setting, where they’re often juggling the emotional weight of caring for a loved one. Seeing the need in patients and their family members, a team of caregivers at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital came up with a thoughtful solution: a dedicated lactation area. These areas are quiet, comfortable and secure environments designed to support breastfeeding and pumping mothers in common spaces. Typically equipped with seating, lighting, shelving and other helpful touches, they’re designed to make life a little easier. Bringing this much-needed resource to Fairview Hospital was a true team effort. Playing a big part, Megan Chase, BSN, RN, secured a Catalyst Grant to make it all happen. “Women are pumping and breastfeeding multiple times a day,” says Megan. “We see them, respect them and care for them. So, we want them to have this safe and comfortable space to go and do that.” Megan brings years of nursing experience to her current role in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where she witnesses the challenges new mothers face every day. With the assistance of lactation consultant Terri Baumer, BSN, RN, IBCLC, she and the Relationship-Based Care Team were able to provide evidence-based research to support the need for the lactation area. They’ve repeatedly seen how few options exist for breastfeeding or pumping in shared hospital spaces, especially for those from diverse cultural backgrounds, where privacy expectations may vary.
Initiatives like this dedicated lactation area can even turn into permanent programs within our enterprise and be used in various locations around the world. We are limited only by the philanthropic support we receive from our generous donors, as we have a plethora of ideas from caregivers. Our brighter future is happening now, and you can be part of it.
“We see people of all different religions and cultures, and they can't always breastfeed in public,” says Megan. “This is just another way that we're being culturally sensitive. I really hope these lactation areas become universal at all Cleveland Clinic locations.” Catalyst Grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors. The competitive grants are awarded to caregivers with ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. Megan and her colleagues were awarded $30,000. “I think Fairview is such an awesome hospital, so I am really proud that we’re able to do this,” says Megan. “This would not have been possible without the Catalyst Grant. We’re so thankful. As a nurse who helps care for babies, and as a mother who breastfed her own daughter, I know this is going to have a huge impact.”
Breastfeeding offers powerful protection for your baby’s health. Research shows it boosts the immune system and lowers the risk of various illnesses, including diarrhea, ear infections and asthma, along with many others.
Building a Tolerance to Peanut Allergens
You smear strawberry jelly with some peanut butter in between two slices of bread, and you have just made a quick lunch for the kids. However, not every parent has that luxury. Peanut allergies affect more than one million kids in the United States. But oral immunotherapy (OIT) is helping. Just a few years ago, treating children with the food to which they are allergic was unheard of. Now, it’s routine. It doesn’t mean it’s easy. Cleveland Clinic is one of the few academic medical centers in the country to offer OIT to little ones because of the risks involved. The reward is more than worth it. Jaclyn Bjelac, MD, was awarded a Catalyst Grant in 2019 to launch a novel study that used boiled peanuts to desensitize patients to their allergen. A small, dedicated group of kids participated in the study, and the results were abundantly clear – an allergen could be modified for treatment. This study opened the door for our team to make their case: We can treat kids using OIT in a safe way. Now, it’s part of our standard clinical practice. This study confirmed a concept that is just the beginning of treating peanut allergies and the like. The proteins in roasted peanuts, like what we see in peanut butter, cause much more serious reactions than in boiled peanuts. The data shows we can teach the immune system to stop overreacting to roasted peanuts by slowly integrating powdered boiled peanuts in the form of a powder.
Initiatives like OIT can even turn into permanent programs within our enterprise and be used in various locations around the world. We are limited only by the philanthropic support we receive from our generous donors, as we have a plethora of ideas from caregivers. Our brighter future is happening now, and you can be part of it.
The starting dose for treatment is about three to six milligrams. The typical peanut is about 250 milligrams of protein on average. Serious safety events, like anaphylaxis, can occur even with small amounts. We are proud to offer OIT, but it is not a process without risk. Currently, Cleveland Clinic is offering OIT for roasted peanuts, eggs, fish, milk, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, wheat and more. Because of the Catalyst Grant, Dr. Bjelac and her team were able to conduct the study which sparked OIT becoming a service line that we offer to not only kids but adults as well. The results with preschoolers are particularly exciting as most can freely eat full servings of food without daily dosing. In other cases, kids are becoming bite tolerant – If they accidentally take a bite of peanut, they can stop without the worry of reacting. At Cleveland Clinic, we are always working to improve our treatments, even when they are already great. The data from this study and the knowledge from current OIT treatments are equipping our team to help ease parents’ fears. However, additional studies are needed.
Photo caption FPO
Laying in an MRI machine has never been a pleasant experience. It’s like you’re strapping into a spaceship – but less fun. Instead of outer space, one caregiver had the idea to transport you to somewhere more relaxing through aromatherapy. On average, it takes 45 minutes for a cardiac MRI. That is a long time for someone to lie still on their back, all the while remaining “relaxed.” You’re inserted into a small space with the machine that goes bump in the daylight and beeps like a video game. For some MRIs, patients can fall asleep. But for cardiac MRIs, the patient must participate in a series of breathing instructions. This is vital because the technologist takes pictures of the heart, showing how well the valves are working and how the blood is flowing. Sometimes, it uncovers damage. It is an important step in diagnosing the patient. The average patient may find this uncomfortable. However, about 1 in 15 patients are claustrophobic (an intense fear of confined spaces). MRI machines can trigger this, leaving some patients unable to proceed with the imaging. It becomes a huge problem for not only the patient but the tech and physician. Patients are sometimes given sedatives to calm down.
Houston: “We have a problem.” And Angel Houston had a solution. She had been experimenting with essential oils, like lavender and sandalwood, for years. She saw firsthand the positive benefits of aromatherapy, especially with patients that were claustrophobic. She will tell you that many patients don’t even know they are claustrophobic until their heart starts to race going into the machine. Involuntary movement also causes a snag in the process. Some people are just scared. She was awarded a Catalyst Grant to launch her study where she could test the benefits of using essential oils during cardiac imaging. Because of this funding, she was able to purchase scent packs that are placed on the MRI machine when a patient goes in. The grant also allowed her to have a research coordinator who recruits patients and keeps track of the data. If a patient is sensitive to smell, there are tabs on the packs for varying levels of strength. It takes caring for someone a step further for Houston. She wants to get patients through their MRIs and get the answers they need. It’s a win-win for the clinician, the tech and the patient. The more the patient relaxes, the better their breath holds are. Their heart rate is more consistent, and the image quality comes out better. Getting an MRI is noninvasive, and it provides valuable information that clinicians use to make a diagnosis. This natural method reduces the need for taking anti-anxiety medications and shortens the recovery time for patient observation afterward. Aromatherapy is not for everyone, but Houston encourages all patients to give it a try.
