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Faith Sommerfield Family Foundation Inc

Annual Giving
$2.8M
Grant Range
$5K - $0.1M

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $2,811,949 (2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation only/preselected organizations)
  • Decision Time: Not applicable (no public application process)
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $150,000
  • Geographic Focus: United States and Canada (primarily CO, CT, MA, MD, NY)

Contact Details

Address: 155 East 44th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10017

Website: https://completedlife.org

Email: Available through contact form on website

Phone: Not publicly listed

Overview

The Faith Sommerfield Family Foundation Inc (operating as the Completed Life Initiative) was founded in 2019 by Faith Sommerfield and Nicole Nuttall to promote self-determination and dignity at the end of life. The foundation holds total assets of $27.2 million (2024) and distributed $2.8 million in charitable giving. Faith Sommerfield, a fourth-generation New Yorker with a career in fashion, public relations, and interior design, was inspired by personal experiences with difficult deaths to create this organization. Sommerfield passed away in September 2022 at her chosen time in Basel, Switzerland. The foundation operates primarily through direct programs rather than traditional grantmaking, though it does award fellowships and makes grants to preselected organizations aligned with its end-of-life care mission.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Global Fellows in End-of-Life Care: Annual fellowship program (co-founded with Death with Dignity) supporting 7 fellows for a year-long project reimagining end-of-life care conversations. The program includes monthly virtual gatherings and a two-day retreat in Toronto. Applications typically open in August and close in September for fellowships beginning the following January. Fellowship amounts not publicly disclosed.

The Sanctuary: A 23-acre facility in Southern Vermont (opening anticipated 2026) providing accommodating space for patients accessing medical aid-in-dying. The facility addresses logistical and financial barriers for patients seeking MAID services.

Additional Grantmaking: The foundation awarded $285,000 through 10 grants in 2023, with grants ranging from $5,000 to $150,000 (median $13,000). Specific recipients not publicly disclosed.

Priority Areas

  • Medical aid-in-dying (MAID) advocacy and education
  • End-of-life care options and patient autonomy
  • Death literacy and open dialogue about dying
  • Legislative advocacy for end-of-life choice
  • End-of-life care research and innovation
  • Bereavement support and grief education
  • Interfaith and cross-cultural end-of-life perspectives

What They Don't Fund

The foundation focuses exclusively on end-of-life care and self-determination issues. They do not fund:

  • General healthcare initiatives unrelated to end-of-life care
  • Organizations outside the end-of-life care, palliative care, or MAID advocacy sectors
  • Projects not aligned with advancing patient autonomy and dignity at end of life

Governance and Leadership

Board Leadership:

  • Nicole Nuttall - Chair of the Board (co-founded organization with Faith Sommerfield, was at Sommerfield's side when she died in 2022)
  • Jason Smith - President (compensated at $154,250 in 2024)
  • Shanna Nicole Nuttall - Vice President & Treasurer
  • David Hoffman - Vice President & Secretary

Executive Leadership:

  • Mark Elliott - Executive Director (compensated at $192,124 in 2024)
  • Lynn Elliott - Outreach Director (compensated at $153,726 in 2024)
  • Yajaira Gonzalez - Director of Operations (compensated at $115,995 in 2024)

Board Members:

  • Robert Macauley, M.D. - Pediatric palliative care physician
  • Fr. Don Pachuta - Medical background and religious education
  • Paul T. Menzel, Ph.D. - Philosophy expert in health policy

The leadership team brings together medical expertise, religious perspectives, and ethical frameworks, reflecting the organization's interdisciplinary approach to end-of-life care advocacy.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. According to the foundation's publicly available information, they "only make contributions to preselected charitable organizations and do not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

The exception is the Global Fellows in End-of-Life Care program, which has an annual open application process:

  • Applications typically open in August and close in late September
  • Program for individuals (not organizations) working on end-of-life care projects
  • Interdisciplinary program welcoming applicants from healthcare, research, law, activism, philosophy, and arts
  • Application details available at https://completedlife.org

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation identifies grantees through its direct network in the end-of-life care advocacy movement. Specific strategies based on their documented partnerships include:

Alliance Membership: The foundation participates in the New York Alliance for Medical Aid-in-Dying, collaborating with Compassion & Choices, Death with Dignity National Center, End of Life Choices New York, and Death with Dignity-Albany. Organizations working within these coalition networks may have greater visibility.

Partnership with Death with Dignity: The foundation co-founded the Global Fellows program with Death with Dignity National Center and maintains a strong working relationship. Organizations connected to Death with Dignity's network may be positioned for consideration.

End-of-Life Care Community: The foundation hosts lectures, programs, and events in the end-of-life care space. Participating in these convenings may provide visibility to foundation leadership.

Vermont MAID Network: With the Sanctuary project in Vermont, organizations working in Vermont's medical aid-in-dying ecosystem may have opportunities for connection.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants made at trustee discretion to preselected organizations.

Success Rates

Not applicable - no public application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - no public application process.

Application Success Factors

Since the foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, the following factors appear critical for organizations that are invited to apply or are preselected for funding:

Direct Mission Alignment: The foundation's focus is highly specialized. Organizations must be directly advancing medical aid-in-dying access, end-of-life choice, death literacy, or closely related patient autonomy issues.

Network Positioning: Given the foundation's collaborative approach (co-founding the Global Fellows program with Death with Dignity, participating in the New York MAID Alliance), being known within the end-of-life care advocacy community appears essential.

Geographic Considerations: While the foundation has a national and international reach, there are concentrations of activity in New York (legislative advocacy, headquarters), Vermont (the Sanctuary project), Connecticut (Sommerfield's home base), and locations where board members are active.

Interdisciplinary Approach: The board includes a physician, clergy, and philosophy professor, suggesting value placed on diverse perspectives that bridge medical, ethical, spiritual, and practical dimensions of end-of-life care.

Legislative and Systems Change Focus: The foundation's participation in state-level advocacy coalitions (New York MAID Alliance) and partnership with Death with Dignity suggests interest in policy change alongside direct service.

Innovation and Reimagining: The Global Fellows program explicitly seeks projects that "re-imagine" end-of-life care, suggesting openness to creative, forward-thinking approaches rather than traditional service models alone.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process - This foundation funds preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited proposals (except for the individual Global Fellows fellowship)
  • Highly specialized focus - Exclusively supports end-of-life care, MAID advocacy, and death literacy initiatives
  • Network-driven grantmaking - Connection to Death with Dignity, the New York MAID Alliance, or other end-of-life care coalitions appears critical for visibility
  • Geographic concentration - Primary activity in New York, Vermont, and Connecticut, though funding extends to other U.S. states and Canada
  • Substantial resources and growth - Assets grew from $3.5M (2019) to $27.2M (2024), indicating significant financial capacity
  • Direct program operation - Much of the foundation's work is delivered through its own programs (Sanctuary, Global Fellows, advocacy) rather than traditional grantmaking
  • Personal legacy foundation - Created by Faith Sommerfield based on deeply personal experiences; understanding the founder's story and values may provide insight into funding priorities

References

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