International Myeloma Foundation Named Winner of 2022 Amazon Web Services IMAGINE Grant for Nonprofits

STUDIO CITY, Calif., Dec. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) today announced it has been selected as a winner of the 2022 Amazon Web Services (AWS) IMAGINE Grant, a public grant opportunity open to registered 501(c) nonprofit organizations in the United States who are using technology to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. The grant will support the IMF’s efforts to use cloud technology to educate patients, unlock donor insights, increase fundraising, and more.

Now in its fifth year, the AWS IMAGINE Grant program provides vital resources to nonprofit organizations looking to deploy cloud technology as a central tool to achieve mission goals. As part of the program, AWS seeks proposals for big ideas on how to leverage technology in new and innovative ways to accelerate impact in local and global communities.

The IMF is deploying Data Lake for Nonprofits —powered by AWS — a new offering from AWS and Salesforce.org. The IMF will use their data lake on AWS to synchronize data from their Salesforce CRM and combine it with other patient and donor data to gain insights and improve decision-making. Thereby, the IMF can visualize the data in their lake with dashboards, use big-data processing and real-time analytics for reporting, and build machine learning models to make predictions. Previously, this type of analysis was tedious, manual, time-consuming and drawn from siloed and fragmented information sources.

“Today, health data infrastructure and interoperability continue to provide opportunities for patients to access information faster to help educate and inform decision-making – all with the potential for an easier user experience,” said Yelak Biru, president and chief executive officer (CEO) at IMF, who also lives with myeloma himself.

Biru continued, “The reason we chose to collaborate with AWS and Salesforce.org is to fuel our digital strategy of providing just-in-time support and education wherever myeloma patients are in their journey.”

The IMF was named a winner in the Momentum to Modernize category which recognizes foundational technology projects. The IMF will receive up to $30,000 in unrestricted funding, up to $10,000 in AWS Computing Credits, and project implementation support. Proposals were judged on several factors including the innovative and unique nature of the project, impact on mission-critical goals, and clearly defined outcomes and milestones.

Since the launch of the IMAGINE Grant program in 2018, AWS has awarded over $6M in unrestricted funds, AWS Promotional Credits, and AWS training support to 66 nonprofit organizations in support of their technology-driven goals. Previous winners are currently using AWS services to tackle critical challenges such as eliminating barriers to food security, improving maternal health outcomes, helping millions access clean and safe drinking water globally, tackling rare disease research, and more.

“At AWS, we are inspired and encouraged by the nonprofit sector’s commitment to address society’s biggest challenges. Each of our IMAGINE Grant winners is taking innovative approaches to scale their mission impact with technology,” said Allyson Fryhoff, managing director of nonprofit and nonprofit health at AWS. “We’re excited to dive deep with these organizations to help them leverage cloud technology to advance their transformative work that is benefitting communities worldwide.”

Tens of thousands of nonprofit organizations worldwide use AWS to increase their impact and advance mission goals. Through multiple programs tailored specifically to the nonprofit community, AWS can enable nonprofits of all sizes to overcome barriers to technology adoption, while enhancing the scale, performance, and capabilities of mission operations.

For more information on the AWS IMAGINE Grant, visit aws.amazon.com/imagine-grant.

ABOUT MULTIPLE MYELOMA 
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow plasma cells -- white blood cells that make antibodies. A cancerous or malignant plasma cell is called a myeloma cell. Myeloma is called "multiple" because there are frequently multiple patches or areas in bone where it grows. It can appear as both a tumor and/or an area of bone loss, and it affects the places where bone marrow is active in an adult: the hollow area within the bones of the spine, skull, pelvis, rib cage, and the areas around the shoulders and hips. 

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION 
Founded in 1990, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is the first and largest foundation focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. The Foundation's reach extends to more than 525,000 members in 140 countries worldwide. The IMF is dedicated to improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure by focusing on four key areas: research, education, support, and advocacy. The IMF has conducted more than 250 educational seminars worldwide, maintains a world-renowned InfoLine, and in 2001, established the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), a collaborative research initiative focused on improving myeloma treatment options for patients. In 2012, the IMF launched the Black Swan Research Initiative®, a groundbreaking research project aimed at curing myeloma. The IMF can be reached at (800) 452-CURE (2873). The global website is www.myeloma.org. 

Follow the IMF on:
Twitter: @IMFmyeloma
Instagram: @imfmyeloma
Facebook: @myeloma
LinkedIn: International Myeloma Foundation

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