Welcome to The Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation

Positively impacting the lives of those affected by Mental Illness will take the help of all of us. There is no too little, there is no too much!

About Us | Board of Directors | Staff | Advisors

The driving force behind the foundation is Jennifer Ayers-Moore's desire to share her understanding of the plight of family members of normal individuals who sink into the darkness of mental illness.

Her first-hand experience growing up with her brother Nathaniel gives her an authoritative perspective on the challenges family members face, and the benefits they can gain from organizations willing to help them through these traumatic times.

The Foundation launched in 2008 after the publication of a book about Nathaniel, The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music, by Los Angeles Times writer Steve Lopez. The book was followed by the film "The Soloist" starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. These two highly-visible projects helped elevate the nation's conversation about mental illness, giving Jennifer the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to begin helping what could eventually be thousands, even millions, of families.

Jennifer and Nathaniel need your help to continue their fight to keep public awareness about mental health's effects on society at the forefront of the nation's consciousness.

We are completely committed to spreading the value that artistic expression makes in the advancement of wellness and treatment. Further, we will continue to strengthen our collaboration with mental health and arts organizations to identify and exhibit the work of the artistically gifted and provide grants to worthy nonprofit organizations that embody the foundation's mission.

Jennifer Ayers-Moore, Board Chair and Founder

Jennifer is the sister of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers and witnessed her brother’s gradual progression from an extremely charming and intellectual young man to the abyss of schizophrenia. She has been a constant source of support for Nathaniel throughout the years. The strength and experience she gained throughout a 30-year journey is what drives her work with the Foundation.

Jennifer is functioning as Executive Director while this position is vacant.

Course Study: Kevin Coleman Mental Health Center, Mental Health Detection in Youths. Kent State University – Elementary Education/Communications, National-Louis University – BA, Behavioral Science.

Anthony Moore, Board President

Tony has more than 25 years experience working in corporate America. He has worked for companies such as IBM and BellSouth in various senior level management capacities, including Managing Consultant, Strategic Alliance Manager, Director of Business Development, Sales/Marketing Manager and Systems Engineering. Tony is a seasoned entrepreneur and has owned several businesses including a trucking company, a restaurant, a consulting company and a real estate brokerage firm. He is a former Active Duty and Reserve Army Officer and a cum laude alumnus of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Cassady V. Brewer, Board Member, Legal Counsel - Morris, Manning and Martin

Cassady Brewer is a partner in Morris, Manning and Martin, LLP’s tax, real estate capital markets, exempt organizations, and wealth planning practice groups. Cassady focuses his practice in the areas of income tax planning, business formations, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships and limited liability companies, tax controversy, tax-exempt investments in real estate, and wealth transfer and protection.

Cassady also serves as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Real Estate Tax Subcommittee on Environmental Tax issues. Brewer participated in the drafting of the Georgia Limited Liability Company and Limited Liability Partnership Acts and is a frequent speaker at local and regional seminars and workshops concerning federal and state tax matters, especially partnership and limited liability company issues and tax planning for wealth transfer. Atlanta Magazine named him as one of its “Georgia Super Lawyers” for 2007 in the tax field.

Dr. Barbra Lattimore, Board Member, Director, Fulton County Department of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities & Addictive Diseases

Dr. Lattimore serves as the Director of the Fulton County Department of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities & Addictive Diseases, which is one of the largest public behavioral health organizations in the Southeast United States.

Under her leadership, the department opened a 22-acre campus to provide behavioral health services to children and adolescents, and launched a comprehensive Mental Health Treatment Diversion program to provide behavioral health services to divert people with mental illness from being incarcerated at the Fulton County Jail for committing misdemeanor offenses. The department also collaborated with community-based organizations to place these individuals into treatment, opened a state-of-the-art substance abuse center, established a DUI Court that places people with multiple DUI convictions into treatment, launched an innovative Juvenile and Substance Abuse Prevention Program and established a Geriatric Program to provide behavioral healthcare to senior citizens.

Dr. Lattimore also is an Adjunct Faculty Member at Argosy University in metropolitan Atlanta. Dr. Lattimore holds a Ph.D. in Community Health, M.S.A. in Health Services Administration, M.Ed. in Counseling and a B.S. Degree in Psychology.

Michelle Kourouma

Senior Advisor

Michelle served as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc. (NCBM) for over 25 years. In that capacity, she developed experience in nonprofit management, interfaced with U.S. presidents, members of Congress, state legislators, governors, and other elected officials. Her expertise lies in leadership, program and budget development, fund-raising, policy analysis, marketing and public relations. She also has served as an independent consultant, assisting the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) develop a community outreach program to raise awareness relevant to child safety issues. The recipient of numerous awards, Michelle has a BS degree in Education from the State University of New York, at Oswego and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Gary Foster

Krasnoff/Foster Productions

Dr. Rhonda Mattox

UCLA Dept. of Psychiatry

Robert M. Bilder Ph.D.

ABPP Chief, Medical Psychology & Neuropsychology David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Our Mission

The Mission of the Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation is to support arts programs at mental health and arts organizations that serve the mentally ill. We place a special emphasis on programs that serve the Artistically Gifted.

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Applying for a Grant

General Criteria for Applying

Please carefully read the following general requirements in their entirety before submitting a grant proposal. If your organization does not meet all of these requirements it will not be considered for funding from the Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Foundation.

Organizations must be tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3), not a 509(a) private foundations

Organization must submit a letter from the IRS declaring this status.

Organizations must submit a recent completed IRS 990 Form.

Organizations must have IRS qualifying public support of over $100,000 from the preceding year.

An organization’s personnel costs must be less than 50% of their total expenses.

Organizations must have been in existence for at least one (1) year.

NAAF will not provide more than 25% of an organization’s general operating budget.

Grants are for one (1) year and are not automatically renewable for multiple years.

Organizations are limited to one (1) grant application per calendar year.

Timeline

The Foundation only funds 501 (c) (3) organizations in either Atlanta or in Los Angeles County. Once your organization is invited to submit a brief letter of inquiry seeking a grant with aims consistent with those of the Foundation, please click herefor our Grant Application Section (password protected). Application materials and guidelines will be mailed to you or can be accessed in our Grant Application Section. Proposals are received year round by invitation only. Unsolicited Letters of Inquiry and Proposals will not be taken under consideration.

What We Fund

Direct services

Seed grants to strengthen organizational and programmatic capacity

Public policy and advocacy

Program/Project Evaluation

Strategic planning

Staff education, training and leadership

What We DO Not Fund

Individuals

Basic Research

Capital Campaigns

Our Partners

The California Endowment

The California Endowment's mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

We unite in our desire to serve and to expand our audience through innovative programming, broader venues and increased educational opportunities while balancing artistic growth with financial soundness. We share a heritage of passion for the music. We embrace our responsibility to be a vigorous part of the cultural fabric of our community and to strive to reach national and international audiences.

The Jimmy Carter Center

The Carter Center is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Join us in creating a world in which every man, woman, and child has the opportunity to enjoy good health and live in peace.

STTAF

Success Through the Arts Foundation is dedicated to using the arts as a catalyst to the education of students who have been traditionally underserved by the public schools, underrepresented in higher education, and deprived of opportunities that could enable them to realize rich and productive lives.

Participant Media

Participant believes that a good story well told can truly make a difference in how one sees the world. Whether it is a feature film, documentary or other form of media, Participant exists to tell compelling, entertaining stories that also create awareness of the real issues that shape our lives.

The LA County Arts Commission

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission fosters excellence, diversity, vitality, understanding and accessibility of the arts in Los Angeles County. The Commission provides leadership in cultural services for the County, including information and resources for the community, artists, educators, arts organizations and municipalities

Dreamworks Studios

The Annenberg Foundation

The Annenberg Foundation is the successor corporation to the Annenberg School at Radnor, Pennsylvania established in 1958 by Walter H. Annenberg. It exists to advance the public well-being through improved communication. As the principal means of achieving its goal, the Foundation encourages the development of more effective ways to share ideas and knowledge.

No Kidding Me To!

No Kidding Me To! - No Kidding, Me Too! is an organization whose purpose is to remove the stigma attached to brain dis-ease through education and the breaking down of societal barriers. Our goal is to empower those with brain dis-ease to admit their illness, seek treatment, and become even greater members of society.

Paramount Pictures

Inner City Arts

Innner-City Arts offers opportunities for children to build artistic self-expression, enhancing their ability to perform both creatively and academically in challenging environments. Our children learn to communicate feelings and ideas in the universal language of art, and are empowered to apply the skills they have learned to their regular academic programs. Most importantly, children are able to see themselves as valuable, worthy and capable of reaching goals.

We believe that the arts are vital for personal and cultural development and they connect the individual to their community and to the larger world. Our philosophy is that by validating the creative impulses and uniqueness of each student, we provide a bridge between the artistic experience and the development of the whole child and increased academic achievement.

LAMP Community

Lamp Community treats housing as a first step to recovery, not a reward for enrolling in mental health and drug addiction services. The premise is simple: success in treatment, and in all areas of life, is more likely when people have a stable home. Lamp Community permanently ends homelessness, improves health, and builds self-sufficiency among homeless men and women living with severe mental illness.

LA Philharmonic Association

The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association ( LAPA) presents orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts. It also offers educational programs, community concerts and children's programming.