Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: The Thriving Brain & Development (TBD) Project Inc.
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As: The TBD Project Inc
Mailing Address: 3343 Peachtree Rd NE Suite 145 #766
City: Atlanta
State: Georgia
Postal Code: 30326
Main Phone: 2254002810
Main Fax:
Organization Website: https://www.thetbdprojectinc.org
Employer ID Number: 33-1945711
Organization Tax Status: no

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: Apri 20, 2024
Requested Amount: 10,000

Project Title: The TBD Project Phase 1: Awareness & Education
Project Description:

At 21, my body began sending signals—tremors, stiffness, slurred speech—but for 13 years, my symptoms were misunderstood or delayed. Not out of malice, but because the system wasn’t built to recognize me. As a young Black woman, I didn’t fit the typical profile of Parkinson’s.

Eventually, I learned the truth: I was living with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.

That diagnosis changed everything—but so did the journey to get there. I wasn’t just fighting a disease. I was navigating a medical system that failed to see me. From that struggle, I created The Thriving Brain & Development Project Inc. to build what I never had—access to brain health education rooted in science, culture, and care.

The need is urgent:

84% of women feel unheard by healthcare providers, leading to misdiagnoses (TODAY, 2022; Mayo Clinic, 2021).

Many women wait over a decade for a Parkinson’s diagnosis (NPJ Parkinson’s Disease, 2021).

Food insecurity during childhood increases the risk of developmental delays (Pediatrics, 2008).

Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the U.S. (Parkinson’s Foundation, 2022).

Our Phase 1 pilot tackles these gaps with tools designed by and for the communities most often overlooked.

With this microgrant, we will:

Publish Mrs. Bayou Bounces Back™, our culturally responsive SEL children’s book.

Launch Cooking with Chef Traci™, a web series linking food and brain health.

Finalize and publish our Food Desert STEM Curriculum for K–12 students.

Hire GIS and tech interns to build our Impact Story Map, a digital tool to visualize reach and outcomes.

This isn’t just a pilot—it’s a blueprint for healing and equity, one family and one story at a time.

Total Project Budget: $198,000

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): We began with belief and a bold vision. When we released our children’s book, something powerful happened—people saw themselves in the story. They felt heard. And they began to give. Donations followed—not because we asked, but because they believed in what we were building. When traditional funding wasn’t available, our founder stepped in—using proceeds from a real estate sale to keep the mission alive. We’ve since leveraged a small amount of business credit and are actively working to grow it, while also pursuing grant opportunities to build a sustainable path forward. But our resources remain limited. With strategic support, we won’t just sustain—we’ll scale. And every step forward brings us closer to a world where brain health equity isn’t the exception, but the expectation.

Project Duration: April to August 2025
Geographical Area Served: Nationally
Age Group To Be Served: women 19- 55 and Children 8-18

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Mrs.
Contact First Name: Tyaisha
Contact Last Name: Blount-Dillon
Contact Title: Founder and Executive Director
Contact Phone: 2254002810
Contact Email: info@thetbdprojectinc.org