From need to done in minutes.

Not directly. Requests come from the nurse, therapist or other clinician caring for the patient, because they see the need in the home and can make sure the item is the right fit. If you think an item would help you or a loved one, ask your home health clinician.

Licensed clinicians who give direct patient care, like nurses and physical and occupational therapists. We verify licenses every year. Requests made on a professional license carry real accountability, which is part of being good stewards of every donated dollar.

There's no income test. The clinician recommends what would help, and the patient or family decides whether they can buy it themselves or would like help. In our experience, people who can afford it usually say, "Save that money for someone who really needs it."

Because a long application, bank statements or pay stubs for a pair of shoes or a shower chair is exactly the barrier we want to remove. The clinician who sees the need in the home is the proof of need.

No. The patient is the one who benefits. The clinician buys the approved item, delivers it, and is paid back the exact cost. Nobody earns money from a grant.

Three reasons:

• Privacy. Clinicians order items to themselves and hand-deliver them, so a patient's home address never goes into our app.
• Skin in the game. The clinician who asks for the grant is the one who shows up with the item, so requests come from real needs they've seen in the home.
• Better care, better use of every dollar. The clinician checks that the item fits, teaches the patient and family how to use it safely, and follows up. An item shipped to a doorstep with no one to set it up or teach it can go unused, or even cause a fall.

The current plan is that clinicians buy the item and get paid back quickly by direct deposit. For higher-cost items, or clinicians who can't front the cost, we're looking at options like single-use payment cards. Our founding board will decide the details.

Small, everyday items that help someone stay safe and independent at home, like shower chairs, grab bars, supportive shoes, reachers, pill organizers and talking blood pressure cuffs. See What a microgrant can do for more examples.

We're proposing a yearly amount per patient that can be approved quickly, likely starting around $200. Larger requests are still possible, with extra review. Our founding board will set the final amounts.

Requests take about a minute. Items within our guidelines can be approved right away, and anything else gets a human review within 24 hours. Clinicians are paid back by direct deposit, not paper checks.

AI handles routine, within-guideline requests and the paperwork. People make the judgment calls, review anything unusual, and oversee the AI.

It can be appealed, and a person will review it.

The clinician returns it and orders the right one. Our founding board will set the exact return process.

Only what's needed for a follow-up text. We never collect diagnoses or home addresses, and our follow-up texts never mention health information.

Several ways: we follow up with the patient or family to confirm they got the item and were shown how to use it, a share of requests are randomly reviewed, and there are spending limits.

A MedShed is a community closet of donated medical equipment, often run by a church, senior center or volunteer group. Before buying anything new, we check nearby MedSheds for a donated item. Our MedShed Kit is a low-cost app and starter kit to help MedSheds run smoothly.

In Washington State, most likely beginning in Snohomish County, then growing from there.

We're starting with home health, because that's where we've seen the need firsthand. The model works anywhere a clinician gives direct patient care and follows up, so other care teams could use it in the future.

We hope so. One idea is for agencies to sign up their clinicians and cover their membership. We'd love to talk with agencies interested in being early partners: email hello@clinicianmicrogrants.org.

Not yet. We're in our founding stage and are not accepting donations until we have a fiscal sponsor or our own nonprofit status. Sign up for updates and we'll let you know when we're ready.

Our goal is for 100% of donor dollars to go to patients. We plan to cover running costs, like hosting and AI tools, through clinician memberships with continuing education, our YouTube channel and partnerships.