The CNI Trust Fund Advisory Board Announces the Award of Seven Community-Based Rehabilitative Services Grantees

The Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative (CNI) Trust Fund Advisory Board is pleased to announce that seven organizations received grant funding beginning July 1, 2006 for developing and providing community-based rehabilitative services for people with traumatic brain injury or traumatic spinal cord injury. The Department of Rehabilitative Services provides staffing for the CNI Trust Fund Advisory Board and also administers the Trust Fund Grants Program. Grant recipients are:

• The Brain Injury Resource & Development Center, Inc.-Roanoke, VA ($450,000/3 years)
• Brain Injury Services, Inc.-Springfield, VA ($252,970/3 years)
• Virginia Commonwealth University-Richmond, VA ($321,388/3 years)
• Virginia Commonwealth University-Richmond, VA ($426,949/3 years)
• Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing-Wintergreen, VA ($50,765/3 years)
• Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, Fishersville, VA ($124,844.75/1 year)
• Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, Fishersville, VA ($448,266/3 years)

In announcing these grant awards, Dr. David Reid, Clinical Psychologist and Chair of the CNI Advisory Board stated, "Though a difficult task indeed to select only a few of the many excellent proposals the Fund received this round, I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to continue to support program development and groundbreaking medical research for our fellow citizens with spinal cord and brain injuries. I am pleased with the continued progress this Fund makes and am honored to play a part in its continued success."

The Trust Fund is legislatively mandated to disburse funds equally to research and community-based rehabilitative service grants. Grant funding is awarded on a rotating basis through a Request For Proposal (RFP) process. Grants are funded for one to three year periods, at a maximum of $150,000 per year.

The late Senator Emily Couric successfully sponsored legislation in 1997 to establish the CNI Trust Fund, which provides short-term grant funding to researchers and community-based rehabilitative services programs in Virginia. The Trust Fund is a special nonreverting fund in the state treasury consisting of monies collected through an additional reinstatement fee of $30 paid by an individual to restore a driver’s license following revocation for specified dangerous driving offenses. Of this fee, $25 goes to CNI Trust Fund and $5 goes to the Department of Motor Vehicles; however, if the offense was DUI-related, the $5 goes to the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program commission (§ 46.2-411).

For more information on the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative Trust Fund, visit www.vacni.org or contact Kristie Chamberlain, at Kristie.Chamberlain@drs.virginia.gov, 804/662-7154.