With the help of many generous people, corporations and family foundations, in three years, we have raised a total of $2,035,000 net to the foundation which has allowed us to put in place FIVE first of their kind, major care focused partnerships with Boston Children’s Hospital, Outer Cape Health Services and Joslin Diabetes Center Young Adult Program. These programs address the pediatric/child, the young adult, the most at risk and under served populations to complement the spectrum of care from youngest to maturing at risk adults with T1D. The new programs have been designed in close collaboration and the input of Sean Doherty, the founder and former Chair of the T1D Fund and the current president of T1D Action, an organization devoted to better care for people living with T1D. This engagement between T1D Action and the LLF is leading to further strategic collaboration which is underway between the organizations with a keen focus on care initiatives and providing proven impact through clinical results. 

Boston Children’s Hospital Diabetes Program

In November of 2023, Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and the LLF announced a partnership to establish the Lillylulu Fund for T1D at BCH with an initial gift of $250,000. This fund has had an immediate impact on closing the gap for under served families by improving care outcomes and has now touched and supported over 4,000 T1D patient interactions at BCH. In January of 2025, BCH and the LLF announced an additional multi-year partnership to establish the new T1D Clinical Innovation Program at BCH with a generous gift of $550,000 from LLF. The T1D Clinical Innovation Program at BCH aims to give patients and families the extra moral and practical support they need to live healthy and productive lives with T1D. Led by BCH Diabetes Program Director Kate Garvey, MD, MPH, and Gretchen Waldman, MSN, RN, CDCES, the T1D Clinical Innovation Program identifies families served by BCH who need help with T1D beyond normal clinical visits. The Program is led by a BCH Senior Diabetes Nurse Educator, who with the support of two dedicated Diabetes Resource Nurses has launched STRiDE (Support, Tools and Resources in Diabetes Empowerment”) which is a multi-layered initiative to enhance the care of patients at the highest risk of acute and chronic complications of their T1D.  The T1D Clinical Innovation Program and STRiDE will give families a mentor and resources that augment traditional medical appointments, dramatically closing the gap in health outcomes and addressing the needs for basic care, education and technology resources.

T1D Action

The Lillylulu Foundation and T1D Action are joining together in a strategic partnership to accelerate their shared mission to provide better care to people living with type one diabetes (T1D).  Led by John Lashar and Sean Doherty, these two organizations will capitalize on their long relationship and complementary strengths to supercharge impact through targeted grants to healthcare institutions in direct support of under-resourced T1D medical provider teams. Their work will begin by building partner and financial support in the Boston area, with a goal of providing care augmentation blueprints to committed T1D philanthropists and activists around the country.

Joslin Diabetes Center

After many months of working together, in January 2025, the LLF partnered with Joslin Diabetes Center Young Adult Program to establish The Young Adult T1D Initiative Fund with an initial gift of $250,000 to launch this groundbreaking multi-year collaboration which is being led by Dr. Elena Toschi. Young adults face a myriad of significant clinical and psychosocial challenges. Changes in living situations, insurance coverage (i.e. need for their own insurance at age 26), competing responsibilities (i.e college attendance or transition to part-and -full-time work), along with an increased prevalence of high-risk behaviors, and psychiatric disease. All of which contribute to barriers for the management of their T1D. The impact of these barriers is well-documented for young adults. This group is at higher risk for deterioration of diabetes management, such as increased HbA1c, and hospital admissions for diabetic keto-acidosis. These poor outcomes have been attributed to loss in follow-up, reduced frequency of visits, lack of support with diabetes self-management and diminished ability to navigate the health and insurance systems to ensure continuous supplies of insulin and devices. Socio-economic and racial barriers only increase disparities in care especially for this vulnerable age group. Compounding these factors, the adult care system historically has less frequent and shorter visits, as well as less psychosocial infrastructure, such as social workers and child life specialists, than their pediatric counter parts. This results in less support for our vulnerable young adults as they struggle to navigate the increasingly complex healthcare and insurance systems. The Young Adult T1D Initiative has provided two critical resources to address the most pressing needs within the population - a dedicated social worker and diabetes resource nurse to augment and support Dr. Toschi’s team. Between June -December 2025, the program had 110 patient referrals with an average age of 27, an average diabetes duration of 14.8 years and an average A1C (%) of 8.5.  It is abundantly clear to the Joslin clinical team that supporting young adults with diabetes self-care goes beyond adjusting medication and insulin doses. We have found that so often the barriers to progress are areas where no formal support exists. Joslin and the LLF expect to announce an expansion of this partnership and program by mid 2026.

Outer Cape Health Services

In March of 2024 Outer Cape Health Services, a federally qualified 501c3 community health center with locations in Harwich Port, Provincetown, and Wellfleet and the LLF announced a partnership to create an integrated endocrine services care model by linking the consultant endocrinologist, the nurse care manager and the patient’s primary care provider (PCP). The establishment of this partnership, funded by an initial $100,000 commitment from the LLF, has provided for added OCHS resources, commencing with a nurse care manager position overseeing T1D patient care plans. This collaborative program has had an immediate impact on addressing the gap that exists for patients that require customized and tailored care - a major obstacle for T1D patients everywhere. The program is led by Dr. Zona Batacchi who practices general endocrinology with a special interest in thyroid, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. 

In February 2026, the LLF and OCHS established a three year program expansion that includes a Patient Navigator and a Dedicated Diabetes Resource Nurse.  The advancement of this partnership now carries an Integrated Endocrine Program annual budget of $285,000.  The dire need for basic care and an integrated, collaborative approach on Cape Cod is allowing for much needed immediate impact – and now has long term stability when it did not exist three years ago.