MV3 Foundation (“MV3”) is pleased to announce a two-year, $750,000 partnership with Eli Lilly. MV3 is a national nonprofit organization that guides, inspires, and invests in the development of Black college students who are seeking entrance into healthcare and biomedical science professions.
This grant will support MV3’s efforts to advance health equity and elevate Black scholars in health and biomedical studies. Ashley Kyalwazi, MD, MPP and Founder/CEO of the MV3 Foundation describes the significance of this milestone:
“Our team could not be more excited. The Lilly Foundation has a well-documented history of supporting initiatives aimed at advancing health equity and promoting racial justice—areas that are at the core of what we do through the MV3 Scholars Program. This new partnership will catalyze several new initiatives across MV3, each aimed at increasing the depth and breadth of free resources and individualized support that we offer our scholars.”
George Okpamen, Pharm D, MBA who serves in a dual role as the Vice President of Equity Initiatives for the Lilly Foundation and Senior Director of Social Innovation for the Lilly Corporation, leads Lilly’s $25M Equity commitment to historically underserved communities.
Dr. Okpamen commented on the impact of the MV3-Lilly partnership, stating, “I hope that Eli Lilly’s support helps to accelerate MV3’s mission of positively impacting the future of health across education, service, and advocacy. At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We also envision a world where every individual has an equitable opportunity to live their healthiest life possible. Our approach is to champion innovative solutions to enhance health equity so that individuals and communities can thrive. Our support of MV3 is a living example of this.”
Dr. Okpamen highlighted the motivation behind supporting MV3, stating, "There were several factors that motivated me to support MV3 on behalf of the Eli Lilly Foundation. The first was the strong leadership, mission, vision, and values demonstrated by Ashley Kyalwazi. Her ability to not just articulate the vision, but also showcase proven impact in the journey she and the leadership team were already on was compelling”. He added:
“...MV3’s ability to garner support from Amgen and United Health demonstrated the potential for innovative partnerships across healthcare."

Partnering with the Lilly Foundation takes MV3 another step closer in closing opportunity gaps that often separate Black pre-health science students from many of their more well-resourced peers. Dr. Kyalwazi expanded to share that “over the next two years, we will host the first annual MV3-Lilly Health Equity Summit, focusing on health equity, racial justice, and the MV3 program model for preparing the next generation of Black leaders in healthcare and biomedical sciences”
In the two years since its establishment, the MV3 Foundation has formed partnerships with organizations committed to advancing Black scholars and promoting equity in healthcare and biomedical sciences. With the support of Amgen, United Health, and now Eli Lilly, our Foundation continues to reach new heights.
To learn more about and/or support our programming and initiatives, please visit our website www.mv3foundation.org and follow us on social media:
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LinkedIn: MV3 Foundation LinkedIn
For more information, please contact Kyeisha Laurence, Marketing Director, MV3 Foundation at media@mv3foundation.org
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