Soul Liberation Fund

The Soul Liberation Fund supports individuals impacted by addiction by reducing the financial and logistical barriers to accessing facilitated, state-legal plant-medicine services.

We support Portland Metro residents, 21 and older, who carry lived experience of addiction, housing insecurity, mental health challenges, and/or trauma, who work directly with populations currently facing those same struggles, and who face financial barriers to accessing facilitated, state-regulated psilocybin sessions. We give preference to applicants who have completed Oregon Health Authority certified Peer Support Specialist or Peer Wellness Specialist trainings.

If you are someone who has done the hard work of building stability in your own life and now shows up for others navigating similar challenges — as a peer specialist, outreach worker, counselor, or in another frontline role — this fund was built with you in mind.

If you have questions about whether you qualify, please email us at sarah@sherieckert.org.

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

• Mental-health conditions such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective or 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 (e.g. poorly controlled high blood pressure, prolonged QTc, congestive heart failure, history of cardiac arrest or ventricular arrhythmia, AICD, coronary artery disease, angina, tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, Wolff-Parkinson-White, heart-valve disease, cardiomyopathy, aortic disease, 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 TIA, cerebral aneurysm
• Medications such as lithium, two or more medications affecting your serotonin system (SSRI, SNRI, SPARI, TCA, MAO inhibitors), or treatment for angle-closure glaucoma
• Pregnancy
• Tuberculosis, COVID, and other highly contagious diseases
• A first-degree relative with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or any psychotic or dissociative disorder

If you live with any of the above and cannot resolve it before receiving psilocybin therapy, we recommend you do not apply, as eligibility is unlikely. Legally, someone cannot receive psilocybin if they: have been diagnosed with active psychosis; take or have taken lithium within the past 30 days; or have ideation of harm to themselves or others.

We are not deciding whether someone should receive psilocybin services — only whether an applicant is a good fit for a grant, so they can pursue a licensed facilitator with whom they'll jointly decide whether to work together.

In 2020, Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 109, 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 regulated access program. While psilocybin is legal within the Oregon and Colorado state-regulated models, it remains a federally illegal Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

The Soul Liberation Fund is an initiative of the Sheri Eckert Foundation (SEF), in partnership with Sarah Honeycutt — an Oregon-licensed facilitator and integration coach — with an initial gift from a generous private Portland resident.

SEF is committed to a future where Oregon's and Colorado's evolving psychedelic ecosystem is accessible to participants from diverse backgrounds, means, and geographies. 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 Magical Teams to support our application process.

Visit the State of Oregon's official Oregon Psilocybin Services site, which includes sample forms such as the Informed Consent and Client Bill of Rights, plus a Scientific Literature Review. Another comprehensive guide is the Healing Advocacy Fund's Oregon Psilocybin Services Client Guide.

Final grant amounts vary, but we anticipate an average grant size of $500–$2,300. The grant supports the cost of facilitation; it does not cover the cost of the plant medicine, which ranges from potentially donated to around $150. Grants do not cover travel, food, or lodging.

Funds are directed to the facilitator and/or service center, which must be licensed by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Once you and a facilitator agree to work together, we direct the funds to them. Recipients can be referred to Sarah Honeycutt or one of our recommended facilitators.

Our goal is to award initial grants in Spring of 2026. We communicate with all applicants over email.

Grants are awarded through a competitive application process, since applicants may exceed the funds we can distribute. Selection is based primarily on financial need, whether the applicant belongs to an underserved population (e.g. geography, race, ethnicity, cultural barriers, occupation, ability, age, gender), and a demonstrated understanding and readiness to receive psilocybin therapy. Each category is detailed in the application.

The fund is currently designed to support groups of three individuals undergoing one day of psilocybin facilitation. The cohort model fosters peer support and ongoing community, while improving quality of care and lowering overall costs. If an applicant would prefer individual care, they can indicate so in the application, and the request will be considered as needed.

Why group over one-on-one? Group work became less common in recent Western medicine, driven by the FDA's approach to drug development. Yet psychedelics — especially psilocybin — have a long, successful history of use in group settings, from clinical contexts to Indigenous cultures going back thousands of years. Group work saves time and money, and studies show that feeling part of a community improves well-being and connectedness. People who start out preferring individual care often end up strongly preferring group — and we know from research and experience that people rarely heal in isolation. Research suggests combining psychedelics with group psychotherapy can increase connectedness and interpersonal learning.

Any information you share 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 will not subject you to any adverse treatment. The Sheri Eckert Foundation uses, processes, and stores your personal information only to review, manage, and execute the fund's program. All workstations and Typeform devices are fully encrypted, and Typeform's data-protection standards are HIPAA compliant. We do not share, sell, or lease your information to third parties unless required by law.

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