Psilocybin
Access Fund

The Psilocybin Access Fund (PAF) helps people in need of healing overcome the financial barriers to psilocybin therapy within Oregon’s state-regulated model. We provide funds to individuals from underserved communities who could not otherwise afford this treatment, expanding access and healing opportunities.

The Fund is open to anyone who is 21 years or older, has financial need, and wants to access psilocybin therapy within Oregon’s regulated model. Both first-timers and those with prior experience are welcome, and Oregon residency is not required.

In addition to financial need, the Fund prioritizes applicants from communities that may not typically have access to this form of healthcare, which we define broadly (e.g. where someone lives, age, race, ethnicity, cultural barriers, occupation, physical and/or cognitive ability, gender, sexual orientation, etc.).

To summarize, applicants will qualify for support if they:

• Are 21 years or older
• Have financial need
• Want to access psilocybin therapy in Oregon’s regulated model
• Are new to psilocybin or have prior experience
• May not otherwise have access to this form of healthcare

Final grant amounts vary, but we anticipate the average grant will total around $1,500. To launch the program, the Sheri Eckert Foundation awarded the first $50,000 of Psilocybin Access Fund grants.

The grant supports the cost of facilitation; it does not cover the cost of the psilocybin itself. The cost of psilocybin ranges from potentially being donated to costing around $100. Grants do not cover any costs related to travel, food, lodging, or anything besides facilitation.

The actual funds are directed to the facilitator and/or service center, which must be licensed by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) — never to the recipient directly. Once you and a facilitator agree to work with each other, we direct the funds to the facilitator.

While research reveals a strong safety profile, psilocybin is not for everyone, and some conditions may be disqualifying. Eligibility depends in part on the Psilocybin Facilitator or Service Center. The following conditions or situations may be contraindications to receiving psilocybin services:

• Mental health conditions such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, major depressive disorder with psychotic features, psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, mania, delusional disorder, any dissociative disorder, substance-induced psychosis, or severe paranoia
• Current drug or alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or active/severe drug or alcohol misuse
• Cardiovascular conditions such as poorly controlled high blood pressure, prolonged QTc interval, congestive heart failure, history of cardiac arrest, history of ventricular arrhythmia (V. Fib/V. Tach), presence of an AICD, coronary artery disease, angina, tachycardia, arrhythmia (e.g. atrial fibrillation), Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, heart valve disease, artificial heart valve, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, aortic disease, or aneurysms
• Gastrointestinal conditions such as moderate to severe liver impairment or gastric outlet obstruction
• Dialysis or severe kidney disease
• Neurologic conditions such as dementia, cognitive impairment, seizure disorders, epilepsy, history of stroke or transient ischemic attack, or cerebral aneurysm
• Taking medications such as lithium; two or more medications affecting your serotonin system (e.g. SSRI, SNRI, SPARI, TCA, and MAO inhibitors); or medication for angle-closure glaucoma
• Pregnancy
• Tuberculosis, COVID, and other highly contagious diseases
• A first-degree relative (parent, sibling, child) with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or any psychotic or dissociative disorder

If you are living with any of the above and cannot resolve the condition or situation before receiving psilocybin therapy, we recommend that you do not apply, as there is a high probability you will not be deemed eligible to receive services.

We are not making any decision or confirmation that someone should receive psilocybin services. We are determining whether an applicant is a good fit to receive a grant from us, so they can pursue a licensed facilitator — where both the client and facilitator will decide whether to work together.

In 2020, voters in Oregon passed Ballot Measure 109, also known as the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, allowing the “manufacture, delivery, and administration” of psilocybin within licensed service centers, supervised by licensed facilitators. In 2022, Colorado became the second state to establish a legal regulated access program for psilocybin and other related psychoactive plants. While psilocybin is legal for use within the Oregon and Colorado state-regulated models, it remains a federally illegal Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

The Fund began in Oregon, the first state with a regulated psilocybin services program. In 2025–2026 we have been working to expand access into Colorado and Massachusetts as their programs develop — which, under those states’ models, may eventually allow grants to cover additional medicines. Please see the note at the top of this page for the current status of funding.

The Psilocybin Access Fund is an initiative of the Sheri Eckert Foundation (SEF).

SEF is committed to creating a future where Oregon and Colorado’s evolving psychedelic ecosystem is accessible to participants from diverse backgrounds, financial means, and geographies around the state and country. Learn more about SEF here.

Our Board of Directors is David Bronner, Tom Eckert, and Nathan Howard. Our team consists of Nathan Howard, Executive Director, and Lorena Dame, Director of Operations and Development. We also work with an organization called Magical Teams to support our application process.

We award grants on a rolling basis. Please read the note at the top of this page about current funding — at this time, many applicants and those on our waitlist are being supported through one of the Foundation’s other funds. We communicate with all applicants over email.

Grants are awarded through a competitive application process, since the number of applicants may exceed the funds we can distribute. Selection criteria is primarily based on the applicant’s financial need, whether they belong to an underserved population (e.g. geography, race, ethnicity, cultural barriers, occupation, physical and/or cognitive ability, age, gender, etc.), and a demonstrated understanding and readiness to receive psilocybin therapy. Each of these categories is detailed in the application.

Through a group model, our goal is to increase the quality of care while bringing down overall costs for grant recipients. Where an applicant would prefer individual care, there is a chance to indicate so within the application, and such a request is considered on an as-needed basis.

In very recent history, group work has become less common, in part due to a Western approach to medicine driven by the FDA’s approach to drug development. For this reason, most people in the United States are less accustomed to group work and less likely to be comfortable with it.

However, psychedelics — especially psilocybin — have a long and successful history of being used in group settings, including not just in a clinical context but also in Indigenous cultures going back thousands of years. Not only does group work save time and money, but studies show that when people feel part of a community, it improves their psychological well-being and connectedness.

For more, see the research from the National Library of Medicine on combining psychedelics with group psychotherapy.

Direct access through grants is one half of our mission; the other half is making psilocybin therapy affordable for everyone over the long term. The Psilocybin Therapy Insurance Initiative is a Sheri Eckert Foundation research project — in partnership with OPEN and housed at OHSU — working toward a future where psilocybin therapy is covered by insurance. Learn more about the initiative.

Visit the State of Oregon’s official website for Oregon Psilocybin Services, which contains many resources about the model and sample forms, including the Informed Consent and Client Bill of Rights forms.

You can also read the OPS Fact Sheet, review the Scientific Literature Review, or consult the comprehensive Healing Advocacy Fund Client Guide and a sample Client Intake & Screening form.

Any information you share with us is strictly confidential and will not be shared with any person, for any reason, without your written (or electronic) permission. Submission is voluntary, and refusal to provide information will not subject you to any adverse treatment.

The Sheri Eckert Foundation will only use, process, and store your personal information for the purpose of reviewing, managing, and executing the program. Your information may be processed and stored on IT platforms and accessed by SEF employees and contractors for this purpose. We do not share, sell, or lease your personal information to third parties for other purposes unless required by law. (At the time of this update, we have never received a legal request for personal information.)

All workstations and Typeform devices are fully encrypted to guarantee the confidentiality of the information they contain. Typeform’s data protection standards are HIPAA compliant.