Foundation Update · October 20, 2025
Two new access funds, breakthrough research at 100× cost-efficiency, plus what's ahead
To our surprise and delight, state-regulated psychedelic research appears to be ~100× more cost-efficient than the old model — just as safe, and far faster. Plus how you can help us bring Horizons Northwest back in 2026.
In this update
Six highlights from our recent work
Greetings friends. This past Monday during our weekly staff meeting we (Lorena and Nate) agreed it had been far too long since we sent an update on what we're up to at the foundation. We agreed we should send something at the start of autumn. Then, after a brief Google search, Nate learned fall had started over a month ago — so we got our act together. Below are six highlights of our recent work, distilled for your reading pleasure.
- Why state-level psychedelic research is likely revolutionary, but seemingly still a secret
- Our two new funds: a combined $700,000 for justice-impacted individuals and leaders facing burnout
- Our work in the news
- Our Research Incubator: powering the brightest spot of the psychedelic renaissance
- The case for state-level psychedelic healthcare models (vs. FDA-only)
- 2026 preview: help us bring back Horizons Northwest
During this chapter of significant uncertainty, we hope these updates bring you the same kind of optimism they've been inspiring in our team.
01 Research
Why state-level psychedelic research is likely revolutionary
In Oregon — and soon Colorado — we are demonstrating that gold-standard IRB research inside state-regulated care can be done in months, not years, and at a tiny fraction of FDA-style costs.
For example, the Low-Income Group Psilocybin for Depression (LIGPAT-D) pilot enrolled about two dozen people and moved from seed grant to published results in under a year — funded by a modest grant from us (think "tens of thousands"). By contrast, FDA-style trials, which we continue to applaud, require millions of dollars at a minimum and multi-year timelines, even for small samples.
Why is speed important? Across the country, states and the federal government have declared "states of emergency" around epidemics of addiction, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and more — while hundreds of millions of Americans remain without legal access to psychedelic medicines proven to get at the root cause of these issues. The state-level model allows for an appropriate level of speed, without forgoing safety, that the FDA pathway simply does not.
02 New Funds
Our two new funds: a combined $700,000 for justice-impacted individuals and leaders facing burnout
This year, two new access funds came online after multi-month creation and funding by our team and partners — the Community Leaders Resilience Fund (CLRF) and the Inward Dive Fund (IDF). Together, these funds have led to dozens of people from across Oregon and the U.S. receiving psychedelic medicine safely and legally in Oregon. Both funds will continue to operate and issue grants through 2026.
At some point we'll share grantee feedback and testimonials; their reflections and stories are powerful, moving, and liable to make one cry.
Supporting justice-impacted individuals
Launched in partnership with Henry Fields, the Inward Dive Fund supports justice-impacted individuals — including formerly incarcerated people, their loved ones, and individuals working within the criminal justice system. It offers scholarships toward Oregon-regulated psilocybin services, access to facilitators experienced with justice-impacted communities, and ongoing integration support. Priority is given to those who are justice-impacted.
We're currently seeking more applications — please share far and wide.
Visit the Inward Dive FundResilience for those who carry the load
The CLR Fund supports people in community leadership roles — nonprofit staff, government workers, environmental advocates, faith leaders, and other social-change agents — facing burnout, overwhelm, or spiritual exhaustion. It provides up to $3,300 in scholarships per recipient to cover group psilocybin facilitation services, lodging during journey week, and access to preparation and integration mentorship.
We're currently seeking more applications — please share far and wide.
Visit the CLR Fund03 In the News
Our work in the recent news
A selection of recent press covering our studies, grants, and the broader push toward insurance coverage for psychedelic healthcare.
04 Incubator
Powering the brightest spot of the psychedelic renaissance
Imagine a world where your insurance covers the cost of psychedelics — where psychedelic healthcare is thought of like talk therapy, acupuncture, or a specialist your primary care physician refers you to.
We're much closer to this future than one might think. Already, thanks to our friends and our team, insurance is just beginning to cover psychedelic healthcare in Oregon and beyond, and the results from participants are remarkable.
For 50 years, promising psychedelic medicine has been kept from the public by unscientific legal prohibitions, government propaganda, and high costs. Our real-world Psychedelic Research Incubator is working to change that.
While FDA-style drug trials remain vital, their cost and time burden compared to the state-level model is vastly higher and painfully slow — and meanwhile hundreds of millions of Americans remain without access.
We're generating real-world evidence that insurers are paying attention to — partnering with best-in-class organizations:
Our flagship ORCHID study tracks healthcare utilization before and after state-regulated services — ER visits, hospitalizations, psych meds — to evaluate potential cost offsets. It's the same path that helped acupuncture and chiropractic reach coverage.
05 State Models
The case for state-level psychedelic healthcare models (vs. FDA-only)
Three reasons the state-regulated model reaches more people, sooner, for less — without forgoing safety.
Speed
Oregon opened services in mid-2023; Colorado and New Mexico are moving on legislative tracks. State programs deliver care in 2–3 years versus decades on the federal path.
Scale
State models create legal access for millions within state lines, while national FDA access rolls out incrementally and narrowly at first.
Efficiency
State programs have stood up with single-digit millions in public cost per state, compared to ~$130M+ for the MDMA FDA effort — meaning more impact per dollar now.
06 2026
2026 preview: help us bring back Horizons Northwest
In the new year, we'll be expanding our work into Colorado's Natural Medicine Program; fostering more real-world, high-impact psychedelic research; expanding both the number of people served and the quality of our access funds; and continuing to work with new states moving toward the state-level psychedelic healthcare model — including New Mexico, Maryland, Idaho, Washington, and more.
And we want to bring back Horizons Northwest in 2026 after a two-year sabbatical — but only if funding is secured by December 2025, and today we're not yet on track.
We'll send one more update before the end of 2025, including our 2025 Impact Report plus reflections and testimonials from people we've served this year.
During December we'll largely be offline — Nate's second kiddo is due, Lorena is in grad-school finals, and it's a month of holidays.
If you're reading this: thank you. We're grateful for your support and for reading our infrequent, long updates. Talk to you soon.
Striving to be of service,
— Nate, Lorena, and the SEF Team
Join us
Help us make psychedelic healthcare accessible to all
Every dollar stretches further inside the state-regulated model. Your support funds real-world research and puts legal, supported care within reach for the people who need it most.
Stay Connected
We send infrequent, long updates like this one. To stay in the loop on our research, funds, and 2026 plans, reach out anytime at nate@sherieckert.org.